The office, traditionally used by the leader of the opposition, now belongs to the new SYRIZA Parliamentary Leader, Nikos Pappas.
The order to restrict entry was given by Mr. Pappas while he was away in Thessaloniki for official duties.
According to sources, the employee in question has worked with SYRIZA since the time of Alexis Tsipras and is not part of Kasselakis’ close team.
The office director for Mr. Pappas, Panagiotis Melachrinos, clarified that the situation was due to a misunderstanding.
He had provided a list of staff allowed to enter the office, but the employee’s name was accidentally left off. The issue was resolved after communication with parliamentary security, and the employee was eventually allowed entry.
Meanwhile, tensions over SYRIZA’s leadership continue to escalate, with ongoing legal battles. Yesterday, the party’s Political Secretariat reaffirmed the removal of Stefanos Kasselakis as leader, with 17 votes in favor.
“Open my office”
Everything began when the party’s Secretary, Rania Svigou, suddenly informed top officials that they needed to hold an emergency meeting late in the afternoon, amidst the ongoing challenge to Stefanos Kasselakis’ removal by him and his associates.
According to sources, during yesterday’s session, Ms. Svigou conveyed to the leadership that Kasselakis had raised not only the issue of whether he is still party President, but also if he remains legally and financially responsible, in a phone call before the meeting.
In a series of calls to SYRIZA’s headquarters, Kasselakis also spoke with the party’s General Director, Christos Mavrokefalidis, as the latter reported to the Political Secretariat.
Specifically, Mavrokefalidis relayed to the leadership that, when asked by Kasselakis who is administratively and financially responsible for the party, he responded, “I, Mavrokefalidis, am responsible.” Additionally, Mavrokefalidis informed the Political Secretariat that Kasselakis said, “Open my office.”
“You should have called the police, not the Political Secretariat”
After these calls from Kasselakis to both the Secretary and the General Director, the building was locked down by security, and written messages were sent urgently to the Political Secretariat members, asking them to convene in an emergency meeting for fear of escalating tensions.
One member of the leadership reportedly told party officials, “You should have called the police, not the Political Secretariat,” while many top officials rushed to the party’s headquarters, despite having other engagements.
