Follow the SYRIZA fallout like a pro

The drama unfolding in Greece’s main opposition SYRIZA party over the last several weeks has been overwhelming and it’s hard to keep up with it all.

After its underperformance in the European elections, the party is cracking up even more, with Stefanos Kasselakis’ leadership being challenged on different fronts, just a year after he took over. In the meantime, polls suggest that support for SYRIZA has shrunk, with some showing it dropping even to fifth place.

Kasselakis is bracing for a stormy session of the party’s central committee over the weekend, when one (or more) censure motions are expected to be tabled against him. The ex-Goldman Sachs banker will try to cement his position by creating a one man’s principle party and pushing out anyone against him. The problem he faces is that the latter are multiplying.

Since the drama is too much for most outsiders to follow and the names involved too many, here are the main things you need to follow developments:

The camps

– Kasselakis’ group: The party is currently split into three camps trying to turn it in completely different directions. The main one is the group close to the party leader Stefanos Kasselakis, mainly expressed by the head of the parliamentary group, Nikos Pappas, and MPs Theodora Tzakri and Petros Pappas. Those that support the president do not want the party to head to fresh leadership polls. The group retains the majority in the party, but this is dwindling by the day and even the most prominent figures are starting to keep a low profile in terms of their support for Kasselakis.

– “Group of 87”: This is also known as the guard of the former prime minister and party leader Alexis Tsipras. It involves 87 members of the central committee, including seven lawmakers. They formed and were named in late June, after they sent a joint letter to Kasselakis, criticizing his leadership and calling for a united left-wing front against the ruling New Democracy government. Its main figures are former SYRIZA ministers Olga Gerovasili, Alekos Flambouraris and Yiannis Ragousis.

Kasselakis has picked this group – and particularly Tsipras – as his main internal enemies, hurling accusations against them, from “black money” in the party coffers to undermining SYRIZA’s place as main opposition. Tsipras is focusing his efforts on rebranding himself, steering clear of the quarrels, but the developments might force him to act.

– Pavlos Polakis: The most prominent supporter of this group is Polakis himself, but Kasselakis also quite often joins it – intentionally or not. The outspoken Cretan MP has called for a new leadership contest in the main opposition party through a grassroots vote, and after Kasselakis didn’t pick up the gaunlet, he said he would submit a censure motion over the weekend.

The relationship between Kasselakis and the MP has been challenging and the latter has been repeatedly forced to turn somersaults over his decisions regarding Polakis. After having expelled him from the parliamentary team, following an outburst in a committee, Kasselakis announced Polakis’ readmission last week and even extended a friendly hand. Polakis did not fall for that and continues to call for a fresh leadership race, which he will probably join as a contender.

The party bodies

– Political secretariat: It has 22 members, along with Stefanos Kasselakis, and is SYRIZA’s highest leadership body. It convenes regularly to take decisions over the party’s internal issues, but also to form its political line. It is known for its lengthy sessions and its even lengthier decisions, but at the moment it is quite difficult to reach an agreement on anything with all three camps being present.

– Central committee: The 300 members of the party’s central committee will decide over the weekend on the leadership issue. It remains to be seen whether Polakis or the “group of 87” or both will submit a censure motion. Even if tabled it will be difficult for it to pass. If it is rejected, Kasselakis will have taken another step in completely controlling and altering SYRIZA. If it is supported, a party congress will follow.

– Party congress: At the moment, the party congress is scheduled to take place from October 4 to 6 to overhaul the party’s founding charter. If a censure motion is supported over the weekend though, a congress could follow for the election of delegates. In the current circumstances, it is most likely that Kasselakis supporters will get a majority. If they don’t, the congress will call for elections to elect a president. This is the most crucial party body that could determine its future.

The jargon

– SYSA or SYSYA: A funny acronym that went wildly viral among Greek users of the media platform X after Kasselakis proposed a new name for the party. “Coalition of Modern Left” could replace the current name “Coalition of the Radical Left,” he suggested, and the abbreviation was an instant success.

However, the change in the name is rather minor, compared to the sweeping shake-up Kasselakis suggests. Among others, he suggests excluding the MPs from the party’s bodies, cutting down the size of decision-making committees and limiting MPs to three terms in office. Party members would get direct control over the political program and the candidates.

– “Unmediated”: Is Kasselakis’ favorite word. He uses it repeatedly to describe his relationship with his supporters within the party, known as “Kasselistas.” His second favorite phrase is “I will never betray you,” which he shouts every now and then to a cheering crowd gathered in his TED-style public speeches.

– “Subverters”: Is how the party leader calls pretty much everyone in the party, apart from the Kasselistas (and Polakis). At first that was the term used to describe the group of 11 MPs that left SYRIZA in November and formed the New Left party. But the term is expanding every day to include more. He claims that there is a deliberate attempt to undermine SYRIZA and dissolve the party into a vague center-left entity, led by a figure chosen by vested interests.