A revealing interview with multiple messages and breaking news was given by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, his first since resigning from Parliament, where he opens up about the reasons for his departure, his thoughts on the future, and his new book.
Key messages from Alexis Tsipras’ interview
Tsipras’ interview sends clear messages: The former Prime Minister distances himself from old parties, puts society at the center, and announces a new political venture that combines historical self-criticism with renewal of the Left and progressive space.
Alexis Tsipras, as he states in his interview, resigned as a SYRIZA MP due to political and personal suffocation. He cites the inability of the political system and opposition to create breakthroughs and institutional stagnation. As he emphasizes, his resignation is a moral and political choice for “escape forward,” to go out “into society,” freed from positions and mechanisms.
Alexis Tsipras advocates the need for bold renewal in ethics, practices and people on the Left, with society as an active regulator of developments.
At the same time, he sends a message about the new political framework, noting that “no one will pass into the new era with an old passport” and emphasizes that change must come “from below.”
Regarding his message that “We need a shock of justice and democracy,” he underlines the difference from the current government regarding corruption, taxation and institutions, while reminding that in 2019 he delivered a Greece outside memoranda with regulated debt and growth.
He also made revelations about his new book, saying it was a debt to History, as he wants to illuminate the 2015–2019 period, counter the “distortion of truth” and present personal and collective lessons. As he states, the book connects yesterday with reflections and proposals for today and tomorrow.
Behind the scenes of Tsipras’ interview and the fallout from resignation within SYRIZA
According to sources, for this interview, which incidentally is also his first interview since 2023, the former Prime Minister’s associates felt he should reveal his cards, as there are many complex scenarios affecting SYRIZA’s course. And because Alexis Tsipras doesn’t want to be blamed for a potential polling decline of the Koumoundourou party, he wanted to clarify his intentions by presenting his thoughts for the future.
Let’s recall that just a few days ago his associates, speaking about his resignation, stated there was no behind-the-scenes agreement with anyone, he didn’t call anyone to make any move. That he was clear in his statement and left no room for misinterpretation. The same people had also noted that Alexis Tsipras will go to speak and listen to citizens, adding that renewal was a basic choice of Alexis Tsipras throughout his political career. To give opportunities to new faces, with dynamic positions that can inoculate society with the new. To try to create the new, the disruptive. A brief review of the people who emerged during his long political career both at party and governmental level proves this. And it’s something that doesn’t change. They added that his moves in the near future are also expected to be “outside the framework.”
Meanwhile, SYRIZA president Socrates Famellos completed contacts with his party’s MPs, as the party’s Political Secretariat is expected to convene next week. In his contacts, the SYRIZA president emphasized to officials that they should be careful with their statements and insist that the question about creating a party by Alexis Tsipras is hypothetical.
At the same time, it was noteworthy that many SYRIZA officials expected to follow Alexis Tsipras were absent from Louka Katseli’s Institute event, which included INERPOST, ENA and the Initiative for the Progressive Alternative Governance Program. This is because Louka Katseli chose to hold gatherings at her home and devise plans with SYRIZA and PASOK officials and mainly New Left members, with leaks describing plans for the grand Center-Left with Tsipras included but without his knowledge. Louka Katseli continues to insist in all her statements that Tsipras’ venture helps New Democracy and Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Reactions to Tsipras’ interview
The first government and New Democracy reactions came with criticism of Alexis Tsipras’ record and questioning of his moral and political messages. The first government reaction to Tsipras’ interview came through government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis. As he emphasized, society needs policies that improve citizens’ lives, not personality cult discussions, and reminded that the current government faces crises it didn’t create.
“People don’t need personality cults and saviors, but policies that improve their lives,” Pavlos Marinakis declared and emphasized that “Mr. Tsipras’ reappearance is based on the weak memory he believes citizens have” and said younger generations may not have experienced “the 2015 tragedy.” Responding to accusations of a “corruption regime,” Mr. Marinakis noted that “Greece under Tsipras was 27th in Europe in growth with lower wages, while today it has double the growth rate of the European average and the lowest unemployment in 17 years.”
Meanwhile, Adonis Georgiadis launched an attack on Alexis Tsipras for his references to a “shock of honesty and justice,” recalling the Novartis case, and characterized him as “excessively power-hungry,” while commenting that “he doesn’t let his party stand on its own feet” and constantly interferes with “Rasputin-type” strategies.
