Hours after MEP President Roberta Metsolas’ announcement of the Belgian authorities’ request to lift the immunity of SYRIZA MEP Alexis Georgoulis, Nikos Androulakis was given the details of the case and the complainant’s complaint. introduced three years ago. Her information has already been shared on the Internet, and in the first hours, Harilaou Trikoupi diagnosed a clear attempt to give the case a political coloring and connect it with the timing of the pre-election period in Greece – to pretend that all this is done so that SYRIZA suffers politically. In the following hours, until Tuesday noon, the PASOK presidential office’s “antennas” also picked up a concerted effort to downplay the complaint – that it was harassment, not rape and abuse – and then give the impression that the MEP’s name was is given by the petitioner now, so the expediency of serving an electoral strategy aimed at harming SYRIZA is obvious. A hybrid war was already unfolding on the Internet, which Harilou Trikoupi described as coming from a “semi-official SYRIZA”, from social media accounts that constantly cross the “line” of the official opposition party in things that SYRIZA cannot officially say but serve his strategy.

Nikos Androulakis spoke to the complainant and his interlocutors report that he was particularly blunt about what was already beginning to unfold online. He allegedly told her about “an organized keyboard army that would beat her for any reason” and asked her to remain calm. In fact, President PASOK compared the case of his telephone tapping to the current situation, wanting to emphasize that the two main parties, N.D. and SYRIZA, switch to the appropriate methods. “When I reported the surveillance of the phone, they tried to portray me as a spy and a person who serves other people’s interests. Now they are trying to present your complaint as a tool to damage the SYRIZA campaign through Georgoulis. They will not take into account the seriousness of the complaint and have already deployed their online army in the line of duty,” he told her.

These reports of the President of PASOK already on Monday, in the opinion of his associates, were fully justified by what followed in the following days.

The PASOK leadership draws a clear dividing line from the main opposition party on the SYRIZA case and reaction. If Mr. Androulakis has so far been subjected to intra-party pressure from some of the leaders to turn to Kumundur, given the damage he has caused to any relationship with N.D. eavesdropping hypothesis, he can now formulate with absolute clarity the desired equidistant strategy.

Harilaou Trikoupi does not hide their anger at SYRIZA’s reaction. They believe Komunduru deliberately maintained an ambiguous attitude until Tuesday afternoon before taking the official “line” that she firmly supports victims in cases of abuse. This gave time for various conspiracy theories to circulate on the Internet. And even after the adoption of the “line” “always with a victim”, not only did the online hybrid war continue, but two candidates from SYRIZA who accepted and promoted scenarios of extreme vulgarity were not even convicted.

This whole climate is shaping new data in the post-election day debate. At a time when Alexis Tsipras was trying to oust PASOK by shifting the burden and responsibility for tomorrow’s collaborators, for the risk of mismanagement, for a possible re-appeal for elections, to Harilaou Trikoupi, the Georgoulis case changes the picture dramatically. And Nikos Androulakis received a strong counterargument against PASOK officials who were positive about the prospect of cooperation with SYRIZA. In addition, it remains to be seen to what extent this case, which may have remained in a remote area of ​​Brussels but moved to the center of the pre-election political standoff, will affect voters. The results of the next survey are awaited with interest.

However, it did not go unnoticed that, although PASOK strongly criticized SYRIZA for its choice in the Georgoulis case, Komunduru chose not to respond to Harilaou Trikoupis and her accusations. On the contrary, SYRIZA also attacked the ND on this occasion. PASOK sees this as a strategy maneuver for the day after the elections, as Koumunduru doesn’t want to be seen as confronting a party in which she bids to cooperate with the government. “This is another deliberate move. They probably think that running without a potential partner will cost them their voting rights,” commented Harilaou Trikoupi, an executive.