SYRIZA president Sokratis Famellos issued a stern warning yesterday evening to Nikolas Farantouris, following discussions about the potential collaboration between the SYRIZA MEP and Maria Karystianos.
Famellos demanded clarification from his party’s MEP regarding his stance when asked whether he would join Maria Karystianos’ party. “Decide what you want to do, because this situation cannot continue. The party is being exposed,” the SYRIZA president reportedly told him. When pressed for clarification by Sokratis Famellos, Nikolas Farantouris said he is certainly with SYRIZA and would clarify this immediately.
Until that moment, Nikolas Farantouris had received other calls from party officials who warned him that his stance was creating problems for the party and that he should announce his intentions as soon as possible.
Polakis’ message about Farantouris – SYRIZA parliamentary group “boiling”
Shortly after Sokratis Famellos’ call to Nikolas Farantouris, Pavlos Polakis – who was unaware of his party president’s move – sent a message to the joint group of SYRIZA MPs and officials asking: “What will happen with Farantouris?”
This shows that SYRIZA’s parliamentary group is boiling, as they believe Nikolas Farantouris not only avoids answering with a simple yes or no whether he’s interested in collaborating with Maria Karystianos, but also tolerates the president of the Tempi Victims Association attacking other parties and Alexis Tsipras.
Characteristic is the answer given by the SYRIZA MEP to SKAI when asked about the issue: “Should it be announced first? […] I don’t want to engage in speculation about future and uncertain matters. I think the demand for justice and transparency will develop into a tsunami.”
In another interview, referring to Maria Karystianos, the MEP spoke about shared views on critical issues of justice and transparency, emphasizing that she represents a citizens’ movement that brought millions of people to the streets demanding democracy and justice.
He even admitted there is dialogue between them and recalled co-organizing an institutional event with the participation of distinguished constitutional law experts, while avoiding commenting on scenarios about creating a new political entity or his departure from SYRIZA. “Every serious proposal for the country’s future is welcome,” he stressed, noting that he continues his work unimpeded.
When the political “flirtation” between Farantouris and Karystianos began
Information suggests, however, that the SYRIZA MEP has spoken extensively with Maria Karystianos about him taking over the political aspect of the new party while the Association president handles social outreach.
The political flirtation between Maria Karystianos and Nikolas Farantouris began recently when the SYRIZA MEP organized an event in the European Parliament on Article 86 regarding ministerial responsibility.
Maria Karystianos herself, in her recent interview, was asked about her relations with Nikolas Farantouris, who is reportedly set to lead the entire venture, and responded with particularly flattering words. “I got to know him closely, I have only positive things to say. He’s knowledgeable, he was positive about helping us organize the Article 86 event. I’m glad there are politicians who embrace movements like this that have purification as their basic demand,” she said.
Pavlos Polakis, meanwhile, yesterday posted asking SYRIZA MEP Nikolas Farantouris to clarify his position, calling on him to take a stance either by rejecting the scenarios or resigning from his MEP position.
He even left a personal jab at Ms. Karystianos, who stated that the new party has no room for figures already identified with the existing political system and ruled out collaborations. “Since the 1980s, the ‘independent freshmen group’ were always second-year right-wing students!! Always though…,” he says meaningfully about the ideological positioning of Karystianos’ faction.
At the same time, however, Maria Karystianos’ stance toward Alexis Tsipras raises questions. It’s characteristic that in her interview she attacked the former prime minister vehemently, stating: “Mr. Tsipras signed the worst memorandum and mortgaged the state as if it were his own property, for 100 years. He had never governed before and came out saying ‘I’ll change everything.’ He raised us high and then brought us down. That’s the worst thing for me, that he deceived us.”
Reasonably, however, many wonder how she can attempt to devalue Alexis Tsipras while simultaneously choosing Nikolas Farantouris as her collaborator, who stood beside the former prime minister for a long time.
Questions about Karystianos party’s identity
Meanwhile, a series of questions arise about the party’s ideological identity. In her interview, Maria Karystianos, giving the basic ideological sign of the venture, said it’s about the country’s purification, independent justice, accountability and punishment. The movement positions itself above “Left-Right” divisions, targeting meritocracy, equality before the law, and protection of vulnerable groups. The entity’s name or identity will likely include the concept of “Union.”
These references are obviously general and constitute principles of all the country’s parties. What differentiates them is ideological identity – right, far-right, center, left – as this determines their positions and proposals on all political issues.
Maria Karystianos, still referring to collaborations, categorically denied scenarios of cooperation with existing political leaders or parties (e.g., Kasselakis, Kammenos, Samaras, Niki), also emphasizing there will be no alliance with individuals from the existing political system. She also stressed that in case of parliamentary entry, there’s no possibility of coalition government with existing parties.
On this issue too, however, the head of the Tempi Victims Association appears somewhat inconsistent, since Nikolas Farantouris also comes from a party in the Greek Parliament, and information suggests she has extended invitations to former PASOK officials to join her party.
