SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis brought clarity to the tumultuous atmosphere of the party’s congress on Sunday, firmly stating, “We’re not heading for elections – the masks have fallen.”
The heated debate surrounding potential leadership elections dominated the congress’s final day on Sunday, with both fervent support and staunch opposition echoing through the assembly hall.
After much deliberation, SYRIZA reached a definitive decision: internal party elections will not proceed.
Kasselakis, in his address earlier that day, had initially proposed moving forward with internal party elections on March 10. However, this plan faced a significant challenge when SYRIZA MP and former minister Olga Gerovasili declared her candidacy for party leadership on Saturday, directly challenging Kasselakis. Yet, during her speech at the congress, Gerovasili deemed the March 10 plan unrealistic and pledged to withdraw her candidacy if it proceeded as proposed.
Πάρτε το κόμμα στα χέρια σας.
— Stefanos Kasselakis – Στέφανος Κασσελάκης (@skasselakis) February 25, 2024
Δικό σας είναι.
Κάποιοι έχουν σχέδιο το κακό εκλογικό αποτέλεσμα στις ευρωεκλογές.
Κάποιοι θέλουν να μου χρεώσουν την αποτυχία και να πάμε σε ένα νέο ρινγκ.
Τι κάνουμε όλοι εμείς απέναντι σε αυτούς τους λίγους;
Επανίδρυση.
Νέα Όργανα.… pic.twitter.com/yo3FL7PbSx
The unfolding drama saw Gerovasili referencing Kasselakis’s own words, stating, “Dear Stefanos, in your initial speech, you said, ‘Find me an opponent, and let’s go.’ If you retract it, we stop here.”
The roots of this internal conflict trace back to former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s involvement in the party’s affairs. Tsipras’s call for a fresh vote of confidence from party members for the newly appointed leader catalyzed the discourse. Former Minister Alekos Flabouraris expressed his support for Gerovasili during the conference, further highlighting the divisions within the party.
Despite the vocal opposition, prominent figures within SYRIZA, like MP Pavlos Polakis and former SYRIZA member Nikos Pappas, expressed skepticism about the necessity of new elections, labeling Tsipras’s intervention as “untimely and wrong.”
As the congress drew to a close, Elena Akrita emphasised continuity, stating, “These elections should not take place. We have a president, and with him, we will continue and move forward.”
Source: Ekathimerini.
