“Greece cannot move forward with Alexis Tsipras and Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” declared Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the party “Democrats – Progressive Centre.” He went on to clarify: “This isn’t a personal matter — it’s an objective one.”
Kasselakis: “Greece can’t move forward with Tsipras and Mitsotakis”
Speaking on SKAI television on Thursday morning (13/8), Stefanos Kasselakis elaborated on his position. Alexis Tsipras has served as party leader and political chief for 20 years. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has served as minister, opposition leader, and prime minister over the same period. “For 15 years it has been Tsipras and Mitsotakis, alternating between opposition and government. At some point we have to say enough is enough and make way for a new generation of politicians. We want to bring a new generation of politicians and a new form of politics.”
When asked whether there are any open channels of communication with Alexis Tsipras or SYRIZA, Kasselakis responded: “There are none, and I have no desire for there to be any… I have no wish to stir up anything from the past, because it resolves nothing for the future.”
Regarding the political direction of his party, Kasselakis stated that “I am not shifting away from the progressive centre. Our applied policy is the progressive centre.”
The difference from PASOK
When asked what sets his party apart from PASOK, he replied: “PASOK is a historic party that genuinely made a significant contribution to the country, especially during 1981–1984 and 1996–1999. At the same time, however, it built large party patronage networks, increased the national debt, and remains a party beholden to union bosses — something we are firmly against. The core positions of the Democrats are low taxation, cutting wasteful spending, and ending the culture of handouts.”
His take on SYRIZA
Regarding the internal developments and changes within SYRIZA, Kasselakis commented: “Unfortunately, the will of the Greek people should have been respected and the party should have remained the official opposition. But that is now history — life moves on.” On the ruling New Democracy party, he noted that it “has failed and has let its citizens down. At this point, Greece should be a country with high productivity and strategic autonomy.”
A unified trade union ballot
Kasselakis also spoke about the need for a unified trade union ballot, stressing: “There must be a single ballot with proportional representation of workers — not party-based ballots. Furthermore, elected union representatives should continue working in their jobs alongside their union roles, rather than leaving their positions and turning trade unionism into a full-time career.”
Finally, when questioned about SYRIZA’s finances during the period when he served as party leader, Kasselakis responded: “You don’t oust a leader unless he poses a threat to a system. Everything that happened in Gazi happened because of money and vested interests.” He concluded by stating: “There is a great deal of black money involved. And anyone who cannot say so publicly is quite simply taking us for fools.”
