Party Change in Greece and the Vanguard Role of PASOK

The article focuses on the role played by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) in modernizing the Greek party system. After a short reference to the party's history and development, the focus turns to the 1995–2005 period, when the party governed for three consecutive terms. It is argued that PASOK underwent some key changes in its values and programme as it abandoned its pro-state values, its reservations towards the market and its visionary political rhetoric. At the same time, drastic transformations occurred in party organization, whose mass structure was undermined, and the party's style of political communication, which became increasingly based on television and media experts. The analysis concludes that these developments are at the heart of the party's serious challenges following its defeat in the 2004 election.