The departure of MP Alexandros Avlonitis from the Democracy Movement was expected, as the founding member of Stefanos Kasselakis’ party had long distanced himself from his leader’s moves. Before Christmas, the Democracy Movement leader had suggested in a statement that he would dissolve his party, yet now he appears to be planning a congress next weekend! Naturally, behind this congress move lies significant backstage maneuvering, connected to the creation of Maria Karystianou’s party.
Kasselakis aims for backdoor parliamentary entry – Karystianou’s role
Sources indicate that what the Democracy Movement leader actually seeks is to secure his parliamentary entry through the back door. Given that his party currently polls at 1.6-2.2% voter intention across almost all surveys, Stefanos Kasselakis knows very well that his fate in the next elections is challenging. What he’s actually targeting is the ability to negotiate with those interested in his party’s percentage after the second ballot. More specifically, those familiar with his plans say his main goal is to make an agreement with Maria Karystianou after the first ballot, where he would call on his voters to support her party, provided that two to three Democracy Movement candidates are included on her ballot lists.
This way, both Maria Karystianou’s party would be electorally strengthened and he would manage to enter Parliament. However, as sources monitoring Democracy Movement developments noted, no one can rule out that if Maria Karystianou, for her own reasons “connected to her extreme narrative,” might reject this support. Then, these same people argue, Stefanos Kasselakis might not rule out approaching even New Democracy to enter Parliament.
Avlonitis launches fierce criticism of Kasselakis – More Democracy Movement defections expected
Naturally, this new plan doesn’t include members from SYRIZA origins, as Maria Karystianou’s views are close to the far-right, while they would never support New Democracy and Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Indeed, some argue that this plan is known to most top officials who followed Stefanos Kasselakis, which is why mass departures have begun. It’s characteristic that Democracy Movement sources say other members will follow Alexandros Avlonitis’ path in the coming period. The independent MP, who supported Stefanos Kasselakis in SYRIZA’s salvation, launched fierce criticism against the leadership and party president, citing deep ideological and political divergences that—as he states—transformed over time into “structural differences,” creating conditions of political suffocation.
He also emphasized that the Democracy Movement distanced itself from its founding principles, abandoning the mandate of Participatory Democracy, and became a “purely person-centered party” without clear ideological structure and political orientation. Moreover, he speaks of a “coup-like” alteration of the party’s character, with arbitrary decisions that were taken, according to him, in violation of the constitution and without the collective bodies and members. Alexandros Avlonitis’ political future remains unknown, as some argue he might not rule out joining Course of Freedom while others believe he’ll wait for Alexis Tsipras. Obviously, the first scenario with Zoe Konstantopoulou also has its risks, since things aren’t better there either, given that the Course of Freedom president isn’t known for peaceful relations within her party.
