Editing PASOK (section)

=== Modernization period ===
[[File:Συμβούλιο της Σοσιαλιστικής Διεθνούς (1η μέρα).jpg|thumb|left|Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece in the [[Socialist International]] conference]]
[[File:Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg-34.jpg|thumb|[[Costas Simitis]] with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] and European Commission President [[Romano Prodi]]]]
In January 1996 [[Andreas Papandreou]] retired after a protracted three-month-long hospitalization, during which he retained the role of Prime Minister; he died six months later. He was succeeded by [[Costas Simitis]], the candidate of the modernising, [[pro-Europeanism|pro-European]] wing of PASOK (the so-called "modernizers", εκσυγχρονιστές ''eksynchronistes''), who won an internal vote against [[Akis Tsochatzopoulos]], a Papandreou confidant. In the first days following his election, [[Costas Simitis]] faced the biggest crisis in Greek politics for over 20 years,{{Citation needed|reason= on top of my head, the Koskotas scandal seems like a much graver political crisis|date=August 2019}} with the [[Imia crisis]]. He was criticized for his soft stance against [[Turkey]] and especially for praising in public the American intervention on the issue.

In a PASOK conference held in the summer of 1996, following Andreas Papandreou's death, [[Costas Simitis]] was elected leader of the party and called early elections seeking a renewed public vote of confidence. Although the [[Imia crisis]] had somewhat tarnished his image, the country's economic prosperity and his matter-of-fact administration won him the September 1996 general election with a 41.5% of the vote. Under Costas Simitis' leadership, PASOK had two major successes: In September 1997 Greece won the right to stage the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympic Games]] and in 2001 it was confirmed that the country would be included in the [[Eurozone]], for which it had failed to meet the convergence criteria in 1998. Costas Simitis won another term in April 2000, narrowly winning with 43.8% of the vote and 158 seats: a substantial achievement for a Party which had been in power almost continuously for nearly 20 years.

In 2000, after the assassination of [[Brigadier]] [[Stephen Saunders (British Army officer)|Saunders]] by the terrorist group [[Revolutionary Organization 17 November|17 November]] (17N), and especially with the forthcoming [[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens Olympics]] being a major terrorist target, a significant international pressure was exerted on PASOK to recognise that [[Greece]] had a terrorist problem and do everything possible to bring the terrorist group to justice. Some {{who|date=August 2019}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stanley |first=Alessandra |date=June 9, 2000 |title=British Attaché Is Assassinated on Greek Street |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/060900athens-diplomat-killing.html#:~:text=Privately%2C%20United%20States,are%20doing%20nothing.%22 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> among the western media had even falsely accusing the party of colluding with the terrorists, due to the fact that the authorities were unable to arrest the terrorists. Under the guidance of British and U.S. experts, the government intensified its efforts and finally, with a string of events starting at 29 June 2002, the 17N members were captured and put to trial.