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Greek Prime Minister Who Asked for First Bailout Eyes a Comeback

Greek Ex-Premier George Papandreou Eyes Comeback 10 Years On

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister who applied for the country’s first bailout program, wants to return to the political stage. A decade after his exit, he is standing to lead the Movement of Change party.

Papandreou announced his candidacy in a televised statement on Wednesday: “I will contribute with all my powers to make our party big and strong again.” 

Papandreou ruled Greece from October 2009 until November 2011 when he stepped down and supported the coalition government of Lucas Papademos. Until 2012, he remained president of the socialist Pasok party, which was founded by his father and former prime minister Andreas Papandreou. In 2017, Pasok joined the center-left alliance Movement of Change. Today Papandreou is a lawmaker for the party and is also president of Socialist International.

Six other candidates are also in the race to lead the party. The first round of elections is scheduled to take place Dec. 5 and if no one secures a majority of votes, a second ballot will be held a week later.

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