In a Facebook post, Maria Syrengela officially announced her resignation as secretary of the New Democracy party.

In her post, which she accompanied with a photo with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ms Syregela explains that she resigned for personal reasons which, she writes, “force me to not be able to devote the time required to prepare for the New Democracy Congress in the coming period, and putting – as always – the good of the Party, I chose a difficult but conscious choice.”

“The seats don’t belong to us, they are not forever. You can fight for many things in an important position, you can achieve a lot, but at the end of the day you have to know when to leave,” she added, thanking the Prime Minister for the trust he showed in her to become the first woman party secretary in the 50 years of New Democracy’s history.

“I will continue to stand up for the citizens of West Athens on the parliamentary benches, fighting battles to gain the lost ground of decades in infrastructure and substantive projects. At the same time, as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I will continue to serve democracy and human rights in Europe, with the same passion and zeal that I have been doing since my youth”, concludes Maria Syrengela.

Full post by Maria Syrengela

There are some moments when you have to weigh things up and make tough decisions. This is one of them. Yesterday, I announced to the Prime Minister and President of the New Democracy Party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, my resignation from the position of Secretary of the Political Committee for personal reasons.
I thank him from the bottom of my heart for the trust and honor he has given me to become the first woman Secretary of the party in its 50-year history. It was a tribute to every New Democrat woman, starting from the youth, who has fought and continues to fight for the ideas and the Party we serve. But it was also proof in practice that in this political space, we believe in and practice equal opportunities for all. Perhaps the strongest motivation for being in politics.

As far as I am concerned, personal reasons force me not to be able to devote the time required to prepare for the New Democracy Congress in the coming period, and putting – as always – the good of the Party, I chose a difficult but conscious choice. The seats do not belong to us, they are not forever. You can fight for many things in an important position, achieve a lot, but at the end of the day you have to know when to step down.
I travelled all over Greece and gave all my efforts for an effective political organization, which in spite of time remains dynamic and relevant, proving that it has strong roots in Greek society.

A big thank you to those who believed in me, to the people of the New Democracy’s Political Committee, to my colleagues and of course to my family who have endured the sacrifices that political activity requires.
I will continue to stand up for the citizens of West Athens on the parliamentary benches, fighting battles to gain the lost ground of decades in infrastructure and substantive projects. At the same time, as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I will continue to serve democracy and human rights in Europe with the same passion and zeal I have been doing since my youth.

Maria.