Tomorrow is shaping up to be the “mother of all battles” within SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, as the Central Committee meeting will go ahead as scheduled.
Today’s Political Secretariat proposal reiterated the same roadmap for internal party elections, maintaining the set dates and emphasizing the importance of a smooth process among the candidates. The Political Secretariat labeled the legal notice from Kasselakis as “unacceptable,” referring it to the CC for review tomorrow without offering a specific solution. Top officials refrained from revealing their positions, leaving it to the committee members to decide.
Rejection of CC Postponement
A proposal to postpone the CC from the “Kasselakis supporters” was rejected. The postponement was supported by Nikos Skorinis, Panos Rigas, Theodora Tzakri, and Olympia Teligioridou. Pavlos Polakis voted neutral on postponing the session, while supporting the proposal to present the issue to the CC. The Youth Representative, Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos, also voted neutral on postponing the meeting. Rena Dourou and Maria Kouveli did not vote due to communication issues.
Nikos Skorinis, a Kasselakis supporter, stated after the process, “If the Central Committee convenes tomorrow, it will mark the beginning of the end for SYRIZA as a united entity.” He called for the process to be postponed and for Stefanos Kasselakis to retract the legal notice, announcing he, along with Panos Rigas, would not attend the meeting tomorrow.
“Closed Book”
The Central Committee is expected to address the legal notice tomorrow without clarifying its stance today. The session will take place in person, not in a hybrid format, with no provisions for telephone voting.
Tzakri vs. Svingou and Pappas
Addressing Nikos Pappas, Rania Svingou, Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Maria Kouveli, and Giota Beloni, Theodora Tzakri stated: “I appeal to you to reconsider and halt the convening of the CC with the sole purpose of excluding Kasselakis from the electoral process.”
Tzakri’s Full Statement:
“The decision to convene the CC with the agenda of administratively excluding Stefanos Kasselakis from the elections is obviously undermining the electoral process and leading SYRIZA to dissolution.
In addition to the eight traditional extreme schismatic voices in the Political Secretariat, five more have joined from the intermediate ranks: Parliamentary Group President Nikos Pappas, Party Secretary Rania Svingou, Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Maria Kouveli, and Giota Beloni. They have used the pretext of the legal notice to join this bloc.
I appeal to these five to reconsider. In particular, I find it unthinkable that two of them, being legal experts, could support restricting someone’s political rights because they exercised a legal right, as in this case, through the legal notice. This is a legal absurdity. Above all, as SYRIZA members, we remain scientists.
Those who view this as a significant issue can take the necessary political initiatives, with the ultimate goal of appeasement, aligned with their beliefs.
I appeal to the wisdom of people who respect their careers and legacies. I have nothing to expect from those who want to dismantle SYRIZA. They are capable of anything, including using administrative measures to suppress the people’s will and avoid their strict judgment. There is a need for a modus vivendi between the obvious Kasselakis majority in the base and the anti-Kasselakis majority in the CC.”
