With time counting down to the critical Central Committee meeting of SYRIZA, where the party’s course in the upcoming elections will be decided, it was finally decided on Wednesday that the Political Secretariat will convene on Friday afternoon.
SYRIZA: Famellos proposal at the critical Central Committee
There, Sokratis Famellos is expected to present his proposal on how SYRIZA should move forward in the coming period. Whether, that is, it should maintain an opposition stance against the Hellenic Left Alliance or whether it should somehow support the new initiative. According to sources, Sokratis Famellos in recent hours appears to believe that SYRIZA should, in its own way, strengthen ELAS, with all that this implies, as Alexis Tsipras’s new initiative falls under the decision they had made in a previous Central Committee meeting regarding collaborations.
Polakis, Pappas and Dourou ready for confrontation
Naturally, the formulation of the proposal matters, given that figures like Pavlos Polakis, Nikos Pappas and Rena Dourou are ready to attack him if he refers to SYRIZA not participating in the elections.
Sokratis Famellos’s proposal is expected to trigger tensions, since those officials who do not “align” with Alexis Tsipras will want SYRIZA’s autonomous participation in the elections. They will in no way accept that SYRIZA will not participate in the elections.
According to sources, indeed, in the event that Sokratis Famellos with his proposal implies that SYRIZA should not participate in the elections, then the officials who have the opposite view are expected to demand his resignation, with the logic that he does not serve the party’s best interests. Nikos Pappas in his interview was quite specific on this issue, saying that SYRIZA’s president, if he asks the party not to participate in elections, should resign.
Some others, however, believe that SYRIZA’s president may well insist on his proposal for progressive cooperation with other parties of the broader Left. And this proposal is expected to bring tension, as it does not seem to be accepted by anyone, given that it will simply prolong the problem. Whatever the case, the officials who favor SYRIZA’s autonomous course are waiting to hear in detail what the party’s president will say.
In the Political Secretariat meeting, Pavlos Polakis will also participate, where he will be able to take the floor and present his views.
Dourou: “There is absolutely no question of self-dissolution”
On Wednesday, Rena Dourou returned to SYRIZA’s internal affairs and through her interview emphasized: “Whatever decision is made on June 6 must be implemented, otherwise we’ll be back to the same situation again. I’m sounding the alarm.” She added, with emphasis, that “there is absolutely no question of self-dissolution. I don’t even want to characterize what was heard. It’s out of touch with reality. It would also be a national and global first.” Referring to SYRIZA MPs who want to move toward Amalias, she noted that “it’s a situation that brings honor to none of us. Of course, there are those who continue to have a foot in both camps, but since the seat is not the MP’s personal property, the path must be clear and simple. Resignation, surrender of the seat and joining whatever party they think represents them better. And, of course, let me say something else, because I see the signs, not two days before the elections.”
Regarding the SYRIZA Central Committee meeting next Saturday, Ms. Dourou stressed “there is tremendous responsibility for SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, all of us and the president, to first put an end to these peculiar auctions, these seat bidding wars. This cannot continue, with people appearing on TV channels supporting another party while maintaining their SYRIZA seat. Because, I repeat, it’s not just about ethics. It deepens the gap between citizens and elected officials and devalues politics. And when politics is devalued, the far-right comes, not hope and change. So, I said at the beginning, or rather implied, that May 26 and the speech at Thiseio happened because some were waiting for it while doing nothing. So now there’s no excuse not to discuss with concrete proposals, not just observations, the new facts and how our political space will be represented.”
