Tensions flared during Thursday’s meeting of SYRIZA’s Political Secretariat, as senior party figures, including Pavlos Polakis, Olga Gerovasili, Thanasis Theocharopoulos, and Zoe Karkoulia, urged Kasselakis to call for internal elections. Kasselakis, however, dismissed the idea, claiming that a leadership challenge would “liquidate the party and hurt our people.” Reports suggest that if Kasselakis continues to resist internal elections, a motion of censure may be tabled at the upcoming meeting. To pass, the motion would require support from 151 members of the Central Committee.
Gerovasili: “Elections or not, we need accountability”
Olga Gerovasili stressed that party members must have the power to influence SYRIZA’s direction, warning against a leadership unresponsive to its base. “Power belongs to the people, not to party mechanisms or any president who wants to achieve their own ends, such as internal purges,” she said. Gerovasili added that Kasselakis’s recent actions seemed designed to expel dissenters and consolidate power, which she said was creating a “shrunken party.” She called for a return to the grassroots by allowing members to decide the party’s future.
“If we hold elections and Kasselakis wins, I don’t know if we’ll have a place in the party,” she said, reflecting a growing sentiment among some factions that SYRIZA may be heading in a direction that marginalises its traditional base.
Nikos Pappas: “We are facing the consequences of a bad election result”
Nikos Pappas, leader of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, also voiced his opposition to new elections, while acknowledging that the party needed to address its internal divisions. “We made mistakes, and now we’re seeing the fallout from those mistakes,” Pappas said. He criticised the internal power struggles, arguing that the focus should be on building a progressive electoral alliance to challenge the ruling New Democracy party.
Pappas reiterated that anyone seeking a change in leadership should follow the party’s formal process, which would require a motion of censure against Kasselakis. “We have clear procedures. Anyone who wants a leadership change must go through them,” he said.
Ethics Committee refers Spirtzis for disciplinary action
Amid the ongoing turmoil, SYRIZA’s Ethics Committee has recommended referring Christos Spirtzis to the Central Committee for “serious disciplinary offences.” Spirtzis has been outspoken in his criticism of Kasselakis and, according to the Ethics Committee, repeatedly ignored requests to meet with the committee to address his remarks. Spirtzis responded defiantly, stating, “It is an honour to be expelled from a faction that Stefanos Kasselakis has created.”
Mouzalas: “Kasselakis should leave, not the party”
Adding to the chorus of criticism, Yiannis Mouzalas, a former SYRIZA minister and current Central Committee member, said he was “fighting for Kasselakis to leave, not for the party to break apart.” Mouzalas accused Kasselakis of seeking to transform SYRIZA into a minor party with no real political ambition. He urged those who have left the party in frustration to return and push for new elections at the grassroots level, arguing that this was “the democratic way out.”
Kasselakis remains defiant as leadership battle looms
Despite growing dissent, Kasselakis continues to insist that his leadership is legitimate and that he will not call for new elections. His critics, however, argue that his agenda has shifted since he was elected, pushing the party away from its core values. With key figures like Polakis and Gerovasili pushing for a resolution through elections or a motion of censure, the Central Committee meeting could prove decisive for SYRIZA’s future.
______________________________________________
Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.
Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.