SYRIZA enters a new round of intense debates over the list of candidates the party is going to support in view of the European elections. These new problems emerged at the meeting of the central committee of the party, which approved the SYRIZA proclamation for the elections, although the Left platform threw a white vote, believing that the Opposition is losing its radical edge. Furthermore, there seem to be major disagreements over the list of candidates, as the Lafazani platform raises objections against the inclusion of politicians with a history in PASOK, e.g. Kriton Arsenis.

The left platform submitted two amendments, concerning the issues of debt and the eurozone. These were eventually rejected, despite being supported by a large number of members of the central committee.

Earlier Panagiotis Lafazanis stressed the need “for SYRIZA to swept by a new wave of radicalization in all areas, ideological, political, programmatic. A radicalization, which should be governed by social, labour and laymen terms as a consistent alternative response to the Troika, memoranda, neoliberalism and finally to capitalism itself” and warned that “if SYRIZA lost its radical edge it would lose its momentum and ultimately the ability to come to power”.

Mr. Lafazanis suggested the preparation of an alternative plan, in case the country gets blackmailed by its lenders under a left government.

In this case, Mr. Lafazanis said that “it should not abandon its progressive program but be ready, in any case, to implement it even outside the eurozone.”

Nikos Pappas, the director of the political office of Alexis Tsipras, replied to Lafazanis intervention, stressing that: “The ‘euro or drachma dilemma’ is the dilemma posed by Samaras to conceal the true nature of the policies of the Memorandum. If we return to this dilemma we will make things easier for him, let’s not do it. The proposed exit from the common currency is hardly radical. I can’t see how pensioners are going to benefit from this perspective”.