Alexis Charitsis submitted his resignation from the leadership of New Left on Tuesday afternoon. Charitsis’ resignation had been anticipated for a long time, as the New Left leader failed over the past two years to convince his comrades that for their party to survive politically, it should cooperate with SYRIZA and later with Alexis Tsipras.
As for the MPs who will follow him, they appear to be staying until they leave. However, things are expected to be particularly difficult for them, as the other side will define its relationship with Alexis Tsipras by drawing a distinct red line from the former prime minister’s political narrative.
The party’s Central Committee will convene this weekend.
Difficult processes for Charitsis and the “8” of New Left – Integration into Tsipras’ party not expected to be “easy”
The entire process of Alexis Charitsis and the eight MPs leaving New Left and joining Tsipras’ party is not expected to be particularly easy. Sources indicate that most of them appear to be in discussions with the former prime minister’s associates, sometimes negotiating the future of the parliamentary group majority and other times their own path.
However, in reality, nothing has been clarified yet for Alexis Charitsis, Efi Achtsioglou, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, Nasos Iliopoulos, Theano Fotiou, Sia Anagnostopoulou, Meropi Tzoufi, Ch. Zeimpek, and O. Ferhat.
First, there is one given fact: that Alexis Tsipras does not wish to take the nine New Left MPs who want to follow him as a “grouped” bloc.
Second, some problems from the past need to be resolved. For example, it is known that until recently, Alexis Tsipras did not have good relations with Efi Achtsioglou. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, people in his circle insist that Efi Achtsioglou is the person the former prime minister should have by his side in his new venture. Whether and how this will happen is an issue.
Everything indicates that for now, the eight MPs who will follow Alexis Charitsis in his exit are probably postponing things for later, although those staying behind consider this problematic, as things are not becoming clear.
Moreover, as Gavriil Sakellaridis, who will assume the party leadership, wishes to give his own political stamp to the party, things become even more complex for the Charitsis group. As reported, the party secretary will attempt to leave behind the unclear message that New Left has been sending all this time under the weight of balances, hoping to emerge as the left parliamentary force that the country needs.
Nevertheless, both sides want the divorce to happen in low tones, as negative publicity would not benefit either side.
