Othon Iliopoulos, a professor of medicine in the U.S. and head of SYRIZA’s State List, has resigned from his position as a Member of Parliament for the SYRIZA Progressive Alliance. In his resignation letter to the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, Iliopoulos expressed his hope that his resignation would not deprive Greeks abroad of representation in Parliament. He specifically requested that his seat be given to the other Greek expatriate on the ballot, SYRIZA’s elected President, Stefanos Kasselakis.

Iliopoulos emphasized that his decision reflects the will of thousands of SYRIZA voters abroad, who would prefer to have one of their own as their voice in the Greek Parliament. However, for Kasselakis to take Iliopoulos’s seat, those ranked 4th to 8th on the list would need to relinquish their claims to the position.

The situation is uncertain, as it remains unknown what the other candidates will do. Notably, Zorzeta Lali, ranked 8th, has previously stated that she would not give up her right to the seat. This creates a significant obstacle for Kasselakis’s potential entry into Parliament.