Rosa Vrettou leaves PASOK with criticism of Nikos Androulakis
Rosa Vrettou, a former PASOK parliamentary candidate and former deputy secretary of the party's Health Sector, has resigned from both her party post and PASOK membership, criticizing the leadership of Nikos Androulakis over its approach to healthcare, internal party democracy and political organization.
Vrettou announced her resignation in a letter addressed to PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis on September 17, saying her decision followed a prolonged period of reflection over what she described as growing problems facing Greece and the country's public healthcare system. Her resignation was also confirmed by multiple Greek media outlets.
In the letter, Vrettou criticized what she called PASOK's “bureaucratic constraints,” lack of initiative and political boldness, as well as what she described as a weakening of internal party democracy.
She argued that these factors had made the party's healthcare proposals insufficient in the face of growing demands from patients and healthcare workers.
Vrettou also accused the current PASOK leadership of losing sight of the party's historical development as a product of social movements and conflicts with established structures. She said PASOK had instead been transformed into a party shaped by “mechanisms and lists of people,” according to her resignation letter.
Vrettou signals move toward Tsipras' new political project
The resignation has also been linked to Alexis Tsipras' new political initiative. Greek media had reported for months that Vrettou was distancing herself from PASOK and was in contact with figures associated with Tsipras' emerging political project.
On September 18, Vrettou appeared to confirm that direction, saying in a radio interview that “only ELAS can overturn the current reality.” Her comments were widely interpreted as signaling her move toward the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), the new political formation associated with Tsipras.
Vrettou had been active in PASOK for approximately 35 years. She previously served as a candidate on the party's national ballot and ran in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
PASOK sources reject Vrettou's account
PASOK's headquarters on Harilaou Trikoupi Street responded by disputing the circumstances surrounding Vrettou's departure.
Party sources said her decision had been known for months and accused her of timing the announcement in a way intended to damage PASOK. They also linked her departure to Tsipras' political plans, describing her as having become part of his political strategy. These statements were attributed to PASOK sources rather than presented as independently established facts.
The disagreement comes amid broader political activity surrounding Tsipras' new political formation and continued debate over the future direction of the Greek center-left.
Vrettou, meanwhile, said she would continue to work according to the political and social values she had supported throughout her career, emphasizing democracy, social justice and public healthcare in her resignation letter.
