Former PM George Papandreou has pacemaker placed

George Papandreou was admitted to the hospital after a scheduled appointment to put on a pacemaker.

A little earlier, the Office of the former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Achaia of PASOK - Movement for Change, George A. Papandreou, issued a statement stating: "Doctors, after examinations, had decided that a pacemaker should be placed, which was successfully done."

Meanwhile, Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis hailed a new era late in May after party members voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing the party’s name to PASOK-Movement for Change.

The name change, decided in a ballot that drew more than 170,000 members, signals a return to the political legacy of once-dominant Panhellenic Socialist Movement founded by the late Andreas Papandreou in 1974.

The move also marks the reinstitution of the green rising sun party logo.

“The people have decided: Our symbol, the sun, is back – along with the memories of a historic party that has come to be identified with [Greek] people’s battles for democracy, social justice and national dignity,” Androulakis said.

PASOK merged into KINAL in 2018 under the leadership of Fofi Gennimata, who died in October last year. Androulakis, an MEP, was elected new KINAL leader in December.

The party was recently polling slightly over 11 percent, behind ruling New Democracy conservatives and leftist SYRIZA. Its third congress will take place in May 20-22.

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