At the entrance of the Parliament on B. Sofia sits an orange cat, without an official name. He is a symbol and a member of the guard now since he is always spotted motionless at the guardhouse. Anyone passing greets him. But he also has a hidden talent. He hears everything. Sometimes the hushed conversations that take place.
He is therefore the only one, potentially an eavesdropper, who will know what George Papandreou and Pavlos Geroulanos said in the four-to-four meeting they had in the peristyle of the Parliament at noon on Tuesday.
The two men were previously friends and associates. After all, Mr. Geroulanos has also been a minister in the Papandreou government. In recent years, although neither side admits it publicly, there has been a rift in their relationship.
The first clouds became apparent in 2021. When Pavlos Geroulanos would claim the leadership of PaSoK against Nikos Androulakis. Suddenly, Giorgos Papandreou also announced his candidacy. The so-called Papandreian bloc split. The former prime minister goes to the second round, but loses to the then MEP. Pavlos Geroulanos had not fared well, with many attributing it to the sudden appearance of Mr. Papandreou.
In 2024, Mr. Geroulanos goes down again against Nikos Androulakis. He loses second place by a small margin to Haris Doukas. A few hours before the second round, Giorgos Papandreou supports Haris Doukas, indirectly. Or at least that’s how it was interpreted by the mayor of Athens, with him stressing that he contacted the former prime minister.
On Tuesday afternoon, Papandreou and Geroulanos talk for a few minutes like two good friends. The content of their conversation remains secret, but continues to be of particular interest. Did they discuss matters of general interest? Political developments? The next day for PaSoK? Or their interpersonal issues? Only the cat knows.
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