Rena Dourou is set to become the sole candidate and, barring any extraordinary turn of events, the new leader of SYRIZA‘s 12-member parliamentary group as of Saturday morning, July 18. Following the withdrawal of Pavlos Polakis, she finds herself in a race of one — now tasked with holding together a party whose members and officials have been scattering with remarkable speed and intensity. Dourou published her candidacy letter in a social media post, stating that she is not stepping forward out of personal ambition, but because party officials called on her to lead a “fresh start” for SYRIZA. She took veiled aim at those who left their seats without resigning them and resigned without articulating any concrete political differences, yet expressed her firm conviction that SYRIZA’s current situation “is reversible.” As she noted, rebuilding ahead of the upcoming elections — “whether through a united, progressive ballot or independently — is the only path forward, and it must begin from within the parliamentary group.”
Read more: SYRIZA: The battle for parliamentary group leadership ends before the vote — Dourou stands alone as Polakis steps aside amid signs of a coordinated exodus
Dourou’s letter in full
Comrades,
with this letter I am formally announcing my candidacy for the position of President of our party’s Parliamentary Group. I am not responding to any personal ambition, but to the call of fellow members for a fresh start for SYRIZA-PS — one that begins from within its Parliamentary Group. This is a group that has delivered serious, substantive work since 2023, holding the right-wing government of decay and corruption to account with evidence-based criticism, and fully honoring the trust and votes of the citizens who supported us.
Today, the parliamentary group finds itself — like the party as a whole — in crisis, and not because of any shortcoming in the quality of its work. Members leaving without relinquishing their seats, resignations submitted without articulating any specific political disagreements — all of this has wounded, diminished, and weakened the group. But it has not destroyed it.
It is my deep conviction that this situation is reversible. The rebuilding of SYRIZA-PS, the reorganization of its forces ahead of participation in the upcoming elections — whether through a united, progressive ballot or independently — is the only way forward, and it must start from within the parliamentary group.
With a deep sense of responsibility toward the citizens who honored us with their vote, and toward the people who continue to support us — through hard work, seriousness, consistency, and without divisive behavior or personal rivalries — putting “we” above “I,” respecting the views of all, embodying the values that have always defined the ethos of the Left, we have a duty to make the parliamentary group the spearhead of our struggle against the corrupt right-wing government. And the starting point for our party’s renewal. With the goal that, after the elections, SYRIZA-PS will be present in Parliament, acting as a catalyst for a broad progressive front — the alternative pole of governance, representing hope, change, and the future of this country.
With comradely greetings,
Rena Dourou.
