The Central Committee of SYRIZA yesterday voted “yes” to supporting Alexis Tsipras by a large majority, convening to decide whether to back the former prime minister’s venture in the upcoming elections or run independently. The proposal by Pavlos Polakis, advocating cooperation with all progressive forces – Kozias, Katseli, Tsipras – or otherwise an independent electoral campaign, was rejected. In fact, no vote count was needed, given that the majority of members were clearly against the amendment submitted by the Chania MP along with Nikos Pappas and Rena Dourou.
Read: Pavlos Polakis: We remain in SYRIZA and won’t hand it over to anyone
SYRIZA: What the rejection of the Polakis-Pappas-Dourou amendment signals
The day after SYRIZA’s Central Committee meeting finds the Koumoundourou party headquarters in turmoil, as no one can say with certainty how minority faction members will react, given that everything indicates SYRIZA is entering a transitional phase. Pavlos Polakis, in statements made after the session ended, said he would remain in SYRIZA and that whoever has declared their intention to join Tsipras should do so immediately. “We’re not handing SYRIZA over to anyone. The struggle continues. We won’t let the shop close,” he characteristically stated.
What his statement means will become clear in the coming period, as the next few days will show how the decision to support Alexis Tsipras will be implemented. Some believe there will be serious reactions from the minority side, with statements, positions, and protests. Given that Sokratis Famellos avoided presenting a roadmap for how planning support for ELAS would proceed, this has already caused irritation in the minority camp.
The second issue that will arise concerns whether from Monday there will be defections of members and officials to Tsipras’s party. As majority faction officials say, if something like this happens, then SYRIZA’s Central Committee will be depleted, resulting in Pavlos Polakis and Nikos Pappas attempting to take over the party. They emphasize that whatever moves are made by the majority must be well-prepared.
Of particular interest, naturally, is whether Nikos Pappas will pressure SYRIZA’s president, will call Alexis Tsipras, to see if there’s receptivity to the support scenario. Since Alexis Tsipras has made clear he won’t cooperate with parties, only with personalities, the former prime minister’s position will be of particular interest.
