by Vasiliki Siouti
The candidate, a local TV journalist from Kozani had come under intense criticism for inviting leaders of the neo-fascist party Golden Dawn, as well as Facebook posts that implied the government was cooperating with a wider Zionist plot against Greece. Read TPPi’s coverage of the controversy here.
SYRIZA’s leadership deemed that, following the storm of controversy provoked by Mr Karipidis’s candidacy, they had no option but to backtrack. According to sources the line of thinking that appears to have dominated is that it will be better to admit having made a mistake rather than to insist on sticking with Karipidis. The u-turn will be a blow for SYRIZA’s leadership but the honest acknowledgement of the error was judged to be the best course of action.
The climate within SYRIZA however remains tense. Many party officials remain angry, believing that certain advisers to the leadership are to blame for the debacle as they failed to thoroughly vet Mr Karipidis or discuss the selection with other party officials.
“We didn’t know any of the information that came to light in the press after Karipidis’s candidacy was announced. We are paying the price for the carelessness of some,” a SYRIZA official told TPP adding, “unfortunately it was bad publicity coming at a time when SYRIZA has been gaining ground politically and winning the trust of the electorate. A clear and honest stance however, is preferable to sticking with a bad choice that does not do us justice.”