When the “green” sun rose

Exactly 50 years ago. Half a century. A day like today. September 3rd, 1974. A date that became a milestone for PASOK, but also for Greece!

Andreas Papandreou announced in the conference room of the “Kings Palace” hotel in Athens the founding declaration of PASOK.

Eighteen days after his return to Greecethe son of the Old Man of the Republic would open his cards.
After the fall of the Juntawho found him in Toronto, Canada, he immediately left for Londonwhere he had his headquarters one echelon of the PAK. At Cumberland Hotel he was met by A. Tsochatzopoulos who came from Munich and two days later they took the plane to Germanywhere the main force of the PAK and most members of the National Council.

The K. Simitis, I. Tsekouras, G. Tsougiopoulos, Dam. Vasiliadis, Mich. Charalambidis, I. Zafeiropoulos they were among the first to hear Andreas Papandreou say: “We will evolve into a political party.”

When he was informed that in Athens a group of parliamentarians, led by Yiannis Alevras and Yiannis Charalambopoulos was moving for her reconstitution of the Center Unionreacted strongly: “Tell them to leave them.”

On On August 6, the National Council of the PAK convened in Winterthur, Switzerland which decided by a majority to dissolve itself, without announcing it.

A. Papandreou returned to Athens on August 16. When he went to the First Cemetery and worshiped at the grave of Georgios Papandreou, many thought that he would eventually appear as the successor of the Elder in the leadership of the Center Union.

First and best was Yiannis Alevras, who did not hide that he was not excited by the idea of ​​joining the same party as the unkempt youths that Andreas Papandreou met in Kastri! “They don’t even have a vote,” he told him.

When Andreas gave him to read the text he had brought with himo G. Alevras was alarmed: “Andreas, what are you going to do? Here we have a party ready, shall we do experiments?”

In the week leading up to September 3rd, there were many meetings, discussions and conflicts.
All this fueled the interest of journalists who were waiting for him that afternoon, mainly to find out who would eventually follow him on his venture.

He arrived quite late at the hotel. He wore a black leather jacket, a white shirt without a tie, a wide leather belt, had sideburns, and was thinner than they had known him seven years before.

According to the… arrangement, many young people had to sit in the first rows, to highlight the corresponding message through the photos that would be published in the next day’s newspapers. The plans were reversed and in front were mainly politicians of the Center Union. Except for the first row, where sat the Yiannis Charalambopoulos, Kostas Simitis, Yiannis Koutsocheras, Nikos Michalopoulos, Professor Sakis Karagiorgas, Sylva Akrita. But the person who attracted attention was the lady Amalia Fleming.

Also sitting in the first row was Margarita Papandreouwhich followed Andreas Papandreou throughout the pre-election period

Andreas Papandreou himself – standing – read the entire Declaration of September 3rd.

PASOK, seven years later, became an “institution” for Greece! Never before has a party with the word “socialist” in its title managed to govern for so many four years.

PASOK, 50 years later, is searching and being searched. He has not been able to write, for years, even 15 in his electoral percentage.

In about a month, the new president of the Movement will be elected, with the prospect of leading PASOK back to the top!

The historic declaration of September 3

The Declaration of September 3 it mainly had the stamp of the PAK.

The first draft was written in Munich“by order of the leader of the PAK”, by the Giorgos Lianis, Panagiotis Mantas, Thodoros Angelopoulos, Michalis Charalambidis, Sotiris Kostopoulos, Giorgos Tsougiopoulos, Yiannis Zafeiropoulos – who represented the organizations of Germany, Britain, America and Italy, plus Akis Tsochatzopoulos and Giorgos Papagiannopoulos from the National Council of the PAK. The text was sent to Andreas Papandreou in London and he brought it with him to Greece.

The final elaboration of the Declaration took place at noon on September 2, 1974 in the dining room of Andreas Papandreou’s house in Kastri.

Papandreou had assigned custody to Yannis Zafeiropoulosto the professor of Classical Philology at the University of Ioannina Manoli Papathomopoulos and to Damiano Vasiliadisall leading members of the PAK.

From the seven-member historical team which formulated the Munich Declaration Michalis Charalambidis, Damianos Vasiliadis and George Tsougiopoulos have passed away. Kimon Koulouris, Yiannis Zafeiropoulos, Sotiris Kostopoulos and George Papagiannopoulos (Mallias) are alive.

The youth of the PAK gave a thunderous presence then!

THE Kostas Simitis he insisted that he must prefix the adjective “democratic” to “socialist”. THE Antonis Livanis suggested the term “socialist” be replaced by the term “democratic”. Finally, the matter was put to a special vote and the majority decided in favor of Papandreou’s opinion.

One of the first problems he was called upon to deal with was the insistence of several prominent centrist politicians to lead the Center Union with a renewed physiognomy. In favor of this solution was, among others, the pre-dictatorship director of his political office, Antonis Livaniso Yannis Alevras and the Yannis Charalambopoulos. Andreas does not seem to have taken this prospect seriously and was talking with them for the sake of talking. He was determined to lead a new party and that was where the substantive discussions with his close associates were directed.

During the preparation of the founding declaration of the new political formation, the question of the name was also raised. Andreas proposed the “Panhellenic Socialist Movement for the Renaissance of Greece”, but the term “renaissance” would be considered obsolete by most of his interlocutorswhile others will say that it looks like a slogan of the junta. Eventually, it will be abandoned and the name “Panhellenic Socialist Movement” will be chosen.

Andreas’ choice was also the symbol of PASOK, i.e. the sun, to symbolize the dawn, “the introduction of the new and the new”. But also the green color that refers to the rebirth of nature, hope. He also chose September 3rd as the date of his “birth”. It thus referred to the historical date of 1843 when King Othon was forced to grant a Constitution and make the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy.

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