PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis said his party took another upward trajectory after Sunday's runoff elections returned 11.86% of the vote and secured 32 seats in Parliament.
At the party's headquarters, Androulakis said, "In several Greek prefectures, PASOK has come in second - we are picking up the thread of history."
The socialist party leader committed to a strong party that would become a reliable opposition force to New Democracy. At the same time, he also expressed his concern over the rise of the extreme right and of neo-Nazi parties.
Meanwhile, The voting results demand from SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance an objective assessment of the new situation and speedy decisions for needed changes, party leader Alexis Tsipras said after runoff elections on Sunday.
He noted that despite the fact SYRIZA remained the main opposition, it had suffered serious losses and "the electoral result is mainly negative for society and democracy."
Tsipras warned that the right and the extreme right "are forging ahead" and urged democratic forces to "organize their resistance", a priority for the main opposition party. It is necessary to honor the votes of citizens who assigned the party the role of standing up against the right and the extreme right, he noted.
He also referred to Europarliament elections, in about a year from today, as a deadline for the party's comeback.
For SYRIZA, he said, "a large and creative historic cycle, one of positive contributions to social majority and the homeland has come to an end" and must be "assessed withe pride."
At the same time, the party must "go ahead with necessary great changes to open a new cycle quickly and strongly, one that is more hopeful" when facing threats to democracy.
SYRIZA will make its decisions in a collective manner, and "party members will be invited to judge us all and to set out the strategy that responds to difficult conditions." He would be the first to place himself at the judgment of party members, Tsipras added.
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