As all eyes in SYRIZA are focused on tomorrow’s Political Secretariat meeting, where Alexis Tsipras’ resignation and future plans are expected to be discussed once again, Socrates Famellos appears to insist on creating a progressive ballot in an interview, implying that SYRIZA should play a role in whatever developments emerge from the former prime minister in the future.
“A good proposal alone is not enough. We also need political momentum that creates a social majority to change the situation in the next elections,” stated the SYRIZA president, adding: “There must be a progressive ballot in the next elections – unifying and effective, with seriousness and dynamism, that addresses the great anxiety citizens have, which is also reflected in polls: ‘We don’t want Mr. Mitsotakis, do something to save us, but do something, take some initiatives.’ SYRIZA-PS has not only changed as a party in terms of seriousness and consistency, but has also submitted a proposal for cooperation. And indeed this cooperation proposal is open, broad, and no one is superfluous. Alexis Tsipras’ resignation is significant. However, we also have SYRIZA-PS’s commitment to do everything possible for cooperation with other political spaces. This proposal is very important and transcends SYRIZA-PS boundaries, and we have submitted it without party selfishness.
So when society demands solutions, whether answering why I proposed this a year ago or what we’re doing today after Alexis Tsipras’ resignation, my answer remains the same: I want consistency to characterize leftist and progressive politics. Citizens will judge us harshly if we don’t act quickly. And when I refer to the word quickly, I mean today, what we must say – from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to livestock diseases, from regional entrepreneurship to 13-hour workdays. We must now take initiatives for progressive cooperation to restore our country’s prospects.”
Two conflicting views expected to clash at SYRIZA’s Political Secretariat
Tomorrow’s meeting is obviously expected to see a clash between two existing viewpoints expressed by the party’s top officials. As is known, one view argues that the narrative of alignment with Alexis Tsipras is weak, as SYRIZA’s voter base cannot be maintained, while the majority believes that the convergence of the two parties is inevitable.
Characteristic of the prevailing climate among SYRIZA officials is that Olga Gerovassili shared both Alexis Tsipras’ and Socrates Famellos’ social media posts.
Particularly interesting was Giorgos Karamerou’s position, who emphasized in an interview that “after Alexis Tsipras’ departure, SYRIZA-PS and the democratic opposition overall must acknowledge the fundamental change in circumstances and reconsider our next steps, without the outdated contracts of previous decisions that don’t correspond to reality.”
