Katerina Notopoulou, the SYRIZA–Progressive Alliance MP representing Thessaloniki’s First Constituency, is set to resign from both Parliament and the party. According to protothema.gr, she has now finalized her decision.

Making her intentions public for the first time since the founding of ELASA (a newly established political formation), Ms. Notopoulou submitted her resignation in a letter addressed to the presidium of SYRIZA’s parliamentary group and to the Speaker of Parliament.

It is worth noting that Ms. Notopoulou topped the SYRIZA–Progressive Alliance ticket in Thessaloniki in the last two parliamentary elections. She also ran for mayor of Thessaloniki in 2019. During the SYRIZA government, she served as head of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki and was considered a member of Alexis Tsipras’ inner circle. She also played a prominent role among those who pushed for Stefanos Kasselakis to be removed as party leader.

The Political Background

According to reports, Ms. Notopoulou believes that resigning is the “cleanest” course of action toward the voters of Thessaloniki, having reached this conclusion some time ago. Her departure effectively opens the door for further resignations by SYRIZA MPs ahead of the party’s Central Committee meeting scheduled for this Saturday.

Her Successor

Following her resignation, her parliamentary seat will pass to Giannis Amanatidis, who served as Deputy Foreign Minister during the SYRIZA administration.

Mr. Amanatidis has recently returned to active politics, supporting SYRIZA’s proposal to contest future elections independently. He backed this position through an amendment submitted by Giannis Boulekos at the party’s most recent Central Committee meeting.

If Mr. Amanatidis is sworn in as an MP to replace Ms. Notopoulou—as now appears highly likely—his vote is expected to strengthen the minority faction within SYRIZA that favors preserving the party as an independent political force and running in future elections under its own electoral banner.