Popular Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) lawmaker Gabriel Sakellaridis announced his resignation on Thursday, choosing to resign rather than vote against his party after a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, his friend. Sakellaridis, an economist who served as government spokesman for the PM during talks that led to Greece’s third bailout in July, made a statement explaining that he resigned because he could no longer support the bailout.

Central SYRIZA members were not surprised by the decision. Preparations for his departure had been started from the summer period, following the government’s deal with its EU partners for a continued spiral of austerity. Now, the popular SYRIZA member is no longer in Greek Parliament, causing government sources to point to an unusual stand as Sakellaridis has not only stepped away from the government’s line but has no desire to appear or participate in the creation of a new party. Instead, the MP will remain in SYRIZA and be a discreet presence in the party’s collective body though no longer at the front line. Even so, Sakellaridis’ departure can be considered as a political coup for Tsipras and sheds a cloud of melancholy over the party.

The stand taken by the young MP sets a precedent for members who have strong ties with the party and who want to diverge from the party line without distancing themselves altogether.

In a statement concerning the resignation, Sakellaridis said: “The reason for  this move is that i cannot contribute to the implementation of government policies. The decision to step down and to withdraw from the main political scene is a one-way road.”

The resignation will not reduce the government’s 155-seat parliamentary majority as he will be replaced by State Reform Minister Christoforos Vernardakis.