(UPD)-31.07.15 

The Central Committee of SYRIZA decided to hold an extraordinary conference in September after an extended talks. PM Alexis Tsipras won on points, as his proposal was adopted by a wide majority of the body. The proposal tabled at the Committee by left platform leader Panagiotis Lafazanis for a protracted conference in August. According to sources, 3 of active MPs among the 17 members of the Committee who had resigned earlier are rumoured to be preparing to also depart from the party’s parliamentary group. The matters expected to be put up for discussion in the September conference are:

1. An account of the government’s governance and performance in the negotiations with the EU

2. What should be done under the current circumstances

3. The position of the Left in Europe

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) central committee on Thursday, taking the podium a day after his interview with Sto Kokkino radio station on Wednesday where he underlined that if he doesn’t have the majority, he will be forced to hold elections.

The situation within the party, however, is heated with criticism from the Left Platform – headed by MP Panagiotis Lafazanis – concerning the deal reached at the Euro Summit on July 13 that goes against all the party’s principles, pre-election pledges as well as the referendum where more than 61% of voters rejected the bailout terms.

TSIPRAS SPEECH:

“Our dilemma is to move back or go forward in a compromise that is not what we dreamed of. It is a difficult choice,” he said. “We were forced to take difficult decisions,” he said as he addressed the conference at Kerameikos in central Athens. “We had to choose between a painful compromise and a disorderly default.”

“We came close to a rupture aiming for a better agreement,” the prime minister said adding that he did the best in the interest of the Greek people and the working class.

“Some maintain that there was a third choice – the choice of exiting the euro,” he said, underlining that the time has come to express our view. An exit from the euro without any support would have meant harsh austerity, he pointed out.

He said that there was no choice but to accept a program. “Some believe that from one day to another the majority of the party and government changed its views – agreeing to espouse liberal socialism – and that we suddenly decided to clasp, by necessity, neoliberalism,” he said, underlining that this is an extreme view.

Decisions to agree to the bailout was taken bearing in mind the poorer people of Greece who would have been better off with these reforms than a “disorderly default.”

“We selected the route of a difficult compromise,” he said, adding that this was done with a “clear conscience” after a hard negotiation battle. “If somebody believes that another government could have brought a better agreement they need to carefully rethink this.”

Regarding the referendum, he stated that “no” was never linked to a Grexit – except in extreme circles, mainly in Germany. He had held the referendum in order to get a popular mandate to negotiate a program that was not on SYRIZA’s agenda.

Over six months the government has searched for funding, even from private sources, in vain. “This battle that we gave for the right of the Greek people, is something we should be proud of,” he said.

He said that SYRIZA had trusted the Greek people every step of the way. “We managed in these difficult times to gain something. We showed the international community the intransigence of the EU mechanisms, causing the first rifts to the system,” he said regarding the creation of doubt and criticism as to how the economic system is structured. A “new political” period has dawned in Europe, says Tsipras, pointing to the battles of Greek people as a catalyst to this.

He asked: Does the left government have an obligation to continue to fuel discussion and fuel political conflict as it has done? “We need to answer, and I believe we need to give a positive answer,” he said.

He pointed that a plan for Greece would need to have international support or else all political plans are due to failure.

Tsipras showcased some of the successes of the party over the last six months in Greece such as the reoperation of the national broadcaster (ERT), cutting the 5-euro fee for Greek hospitals, giving citizenship to 2nd generation migrants, etc.

There are no magical solutions that can solve the problems of Greece, he said. Nothing is final, but there are many open fronts with possibilities. “Just as it is wrong to beautify the agreement, it is just as disastrous to demonize it,” he said.

He showcased some of Greece’s problems, such as tax evasion, that need to be addressed.

He pointed to three issues required for a solution of differing viewpoints within SYRIZA – Trust, solidarity and respect of the democratic process. He called for democracy rather than political noise and accusations for a constructive dialogue. He pointed to the conference in September where crucial questions will be addressed and look at the larger picture of SYRIZA in the European left as well as the party’s goals and prospects.

Upon arrival:

PM A. Tsipras arrived without making a statement. He took a seat beside Greek Deputy PM Giannis Dragassakis.

SYRIZA MP Dimitris Stratoulis: “I think that what was supposed to happen is happening,” he said refering to the meeting taking place, due to discuss the messages taking place. He said that the goal is to free SYRIZA from the bailout deal and return to the rota of its own commitments to the people and cancel out deal with creditors.

SYRIZA Spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili: “At the heart of the left, the policies of the left, the ideology of the left, the importance is to serve the interests of the city,” she said, pointing to two different strategies in the same party. “These – at a government level – cannot converge.” She called for unity. “Elections are a solution when the dilemma is such that demands it.”

SYRIZA MP Alexis Mitropoulos: Both sides (within the party) should show unity so as to avoid doing more harm to the people. “The people don’t want dissent, nor a rift. People want union and to push forward,” he said. “Only with calm, unity and communication can we overcome the crisis.”

SYRIZA MP George Varemenos: “The country does not have the luxury of waiting. People have been through a lot. We don’t have many choices, we have one and this is uncertain. We want the ghost of the Grexit to leave forever,” he said.

SYRIZA MP Anneta Kavvadia said she is against extreme solutions. “Of course we have been defeated. Of course we need to discuss things,” she said, adding that an emergency meeting in September could find a solution to problems.