Turning point for unity and perspective SYRIZA Progressive Alliance from now on is today’s meeting of the party’s Central Committee, where all internal party camps are expected to arrive at 11 am with a lot of suspicion about the future of the process of electing a new leadership.
Absent from the process, the outgoing President, Stefanos Kasselakis is awaiting the verdict of the body and together all the procedural details. At the same time, the “Kasselists” are reportedly prepared for all eventualities, without insisting on further criteria for the participation of presidential candidates in the election race. Their only point of contact with the rest of Koumoundourou’s challengers is the timing of the internal party procedures, as the Kasselakis side reportedly shares the anxiety of presidential candidate, Pavlos Polakis for “quick procedures”. In particular, presenting six positions for “restarting the party”, Polakis proposed a shorter route for the finalists of the internal party elections, namely:
1. 29/09/2024 Filing of nominations
2. 05/10/2024 Standing convention
3. 03/11/2024 First ballot for President
03/03/202424
03/03/2024
4. 10/11/2024 Second ballot for President
“Outside the microcosm of SYRIZA, society is facing acute problems that lead even members of the New Democracy to oppose it. At this juncture, the extension of a period of extreme introversion for no good reason is the best gift for the opponent,” Polakis’ entourage reports, although the recommendation to the Central Committee puts things a little further back, with the Congress to be held on November 1-3 and the two rounds of the presidential election on November 24 and December 1 respectively.
And if on the dates Paulos Polakis is in line with Stefanos Kasselakis, he keeps clear distances on the issue of the delegates, as his firm position is that the delegates should be elected from the beginning, as both the President of the SYRIZA PS CO, Nikos Pappas, but also the “87”.
What the 87
The latter were meeting until the early hours of today in a charged atmosphere in order to reach a final position on the Central Committee, but also on the Famellos candidacy. Until last night, moreover, nothing had been “locked” due to the strong objections raised by part of the “Tsipras Guard” against the person of Mr. Famellos, even if the former President of the SYRIZA PS CO is ranked in the top positions in the polls against Stefanos Kasselakis. Mr. Famellos’ long stay at the side of Mr. Kasselakis, however, as head of the CO, and his distancing himself from the internal party debates all this time seem to have troubled some of the “87” against the public support of his candidacy. On the contrary, more warmly towards the candidacy of Socrates Famellos, active party deputies appear, as Christos Giannoulis did yesterday, although it is not excluded that some may extend a hand of friendship in the second round to Pavlos Polakis.
At the same time, a point of friction within the “87” is their retreat at the last meeting of the Political Secretariat regarding the introduction of criteria for participation in the internal party elections, although they had initially supported terms and conditions, such as the filing of Posten Eschahre to the party by those interested in the leadership. In this context, the change of line on this issue is perceived by “87” party officials as incompatible with meritocracy and transparency, with former minister, Christos Spirtzis reportedly determined to raise the issue of criteria before the Central Committee members. He stressed yesterday that “”when there is 7% left in SYRIZA, it makes sense for Kasselakis to lead,” announcing his departure if the former president is re-elected.
In any case, for the “Tsipras guard” the aversion to adherence to the Constitution and the collective decisions of the party in today’s proposal constitutes a first “safety valve”. As the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Olga Gerovassili, said yesterday, “anyone who wants to lead a modern left-wing political party must respect the principles, values and the constitution of this party”, while “red line” is the respectful observance of the constitution for the President of the Central Committee, Nikos Pappas.
Critical changes to the constitution and political framework are what Pappas wants
“Critical changes in the constitution, political framework and not just the election of a president” is the message being sent out by associates of Mr. Pappas all the time lately, with him saying that “if we just do a presidential election without discussing and ruling on the constitution it is like giving a blank cheque”, meaning to describe how if the constitution is circumvented by not discussing it extensively at the upcoming Congress, then the president of the SYRIZA PC will be able to introduce his own Statute, i.e. his own, personal rules, gathering decisive powers without any kind of accountability.
With this in mind, from Monday onwards it is estimated that both the deposed President of the SYRIZA PC, Stefanos Kasselakis, and Olga Gerovassili and Socrates Famellos, will openly position themselves for their candidacies, while the scenario of the candidacy for the Presidency of Nikolas Farantouris, who is absorbed in his new extroverted parliamentary activities in Brussels, is weakening.
