The leader of New Left, Gabriel Sakellaridis, spoke on Parapolitika 90.1 and the show “She and I” with Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gantona.
Asked about “neighboring forces,” based on statements from Tsipras’s party, as well as the different views expressed by PASOK on the issue, he emphasized that “there are distinctions between Right and Left, there are gradations and neighboring spaces. The issue of party geography is interesting under these conditions of political fluidity. I believe that the cockfight between PASOK and SYRIZA for primacy in the broader center-left space does not concern Greek society; there must be an electoral alliance aimed at winning the elections.”
Asked how this would happen, given that they cannot agree on the basics, he emphasizes that it is a matter of their own responsibility. “When the two parties are polling between 12 and 15 percent, if they want to bring down Mitsotakis, they should cooperate with each other. If they don’t recognize that they are neighboring spaces, that’s their problem,” he said among other things.
Sakellaridis: Let’s overcome differences on the left – Much more important to position ourselves for 2036 rather than for 2015 and 2016
And he added: “We say in this crisis of fluidity, which has worsened, we believe there must be joint action between left-wing parties at a programmatic level. We put forward the axes of confrontation with oligopolies, cartels, etc.”
Asked about the fact that there are commonalities at this point with Alexis Tsipras’s rhetoric, he said there is no commitment from the former prime minister and SYRIZA. Ms. Koufonkolakos spoke about temporary, extraordinary taxation of the richest, in relation to the “patriotic contribution.” “This shows that Alexis Tsipras is splashing around in murky waters. When I read his position on the energy market, I saw no disposition for confrontation against the super-profits of cartels. We haven’t seen positions; positions provoke conflicts,” said Mr. Sakellaridis.
Regarding who the neighboring spaces are, he said they are identified methodologically, based on programs. “You must share values and the conception of politics. We have started discussions with organizations from the ecology space,” while making special reference to MeRA25. “We believe that if we stop this attachment to the past, where there are disagreements, we can discuss the future. It is much more important as the Left to position ourselves in 2026 for 2036 and not for 2015 and 2016.”
Asked if New Democracy and former comrades in SYRIZA are the same as opponents for New Left, he stressed that this is not the case. “The fact that Alexis Tsipras operates in a way that is destructive to the Left is undeniable. The fact that he fishes for people from left-wing parties and doesn’t consider any political space neighboring happens, but it’s not the same as New Democracy and Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” said Gabriel Sakellaridis.
Regarding the resignations and the possible continuation of MPs in their path with Tsipras’s party, he stressed that the decision was “premeditated” and connected to Alexis Tsipras’s SYRIZA. “We believe it should have happened earlier, so that New Left would not find itself in a state of prolonged awkwardness,” he noted, characterizing their decision as “a matter of political conscience.”
Asked about Efi Achtsioglou, he said he did not participate in SYRIZA during the period of her presidential bid, saying about her relationship with Alexis Tsipras that it is “bilateral, their own issue.”
Regarding New Left’s ballot and whether they will run independently in the elections, he said “we continue to exist as a party. New Left has thousands of members throughout Greece, despite not having a parliamentary group. I believe that even now there can be a restart and we can contribute to covering the gap on the left of the political spectrum. Our goal is unity in the space of the Left and Ecology. I believe it must succeed for the strong presence of the Left in Parliament and the day after.”
