SYRIZA’s central office is facing a wave of complaints from local party organizations just ten hours before voting begins. Regional and local SYRIZA branches report they haven’t received lists of members eligible to vote, with accusations directed at the party’s Organizational Office.
Reportedly affected branches include:
- Athens A
- East Attica
- South Athens
- West Athens
- Lasithi
- Heraklion
- Rethymno
- Chania
- Arcadia
- Samos
- Lemnos
- Lesbos
- North Dodecanese
- South Dodecanese
- Karditsa
- Aetolia-Acarnania
- Finance Sector
- Education Sector
Some regional branches report being told by the main office that “the system went down.” Allies of former party leader Stefanos Kasselakis commented that this situation, at best, points to incompetence, and at worst, an attempt to obstruct the election process in hundreds of branches. They added, “The party secretary should have already resigned.”
Sources within SYRIZA’s central office acknowledged a technical issue affecting several branches earlier today, which they claim is now being resolved, with staff working to verify member data to ensure the process will proceed as planned tomorrow morning.
Major branches, such as the Athens A Regional Committee, have already issued statements, including the following:
STATEMENT FROM THE ATHENS A COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Athens, November 1, 2024, Time: 7:42 p.m.
Today, by a majority vote of 10 to 1, the Athens A Coordinating Committee issued this statement:
With only hours before the polls open to elect representatives for SYRIZA PS’s extraordinary congress, member organization lists remain unavailable. We question if this is another organizational fiasco or a last-minute scheme to distort the voting body of SYRIZA PS and the congress outcome.
In the face of these unprecedented, unconstitutional, and unsupportive tactics that began on September 8 and persist today, we must, out of respect for the hard, voluntary work of Athens A branch members, say: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
WE DEMAND the immediate release of Athens A member lists! WE CALL for the resignation of party secretary Rania Svigou, who bears ultimate responsibility for today’s fiasco as head of the party’s organizational structure!
The Athens A Coordinating Committee
SYRIZA PS
