Five candidates vying for presidency of SYRIZA οn Sunday

The election for a new leader to replace Alexis Tsipras at the helm of the main opposition SYRIZA party will take place on Sunday, with five candidates in the race. Voting taking place between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone above the age of 15 who joins as a member of SYRIZA by September 16 or registers as a party member on the spot on the day of the elections is eligible to vote.

Although not binding, the results of national elections earlier this year could provide a foretaste of the outcome.

Firm favorite and former labor minister Effie Achtsioglou came in first in West Athens during the most recent election, receiving 28,491 votes. Nikos Pappas, former digital police minister, was also first in the southern sector, receiving 21,346 votes. Former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos was voted for by 25,498 citizens in the north, while Stefanos Tzoumakas in the south received 9,006 votes and was not elected MP. Newcomer Stefanos Kasselakis did not take part in the last election but appears to have strong backing.

It is likely that many of those who were at these polling stations in May are already members of SYRIZA, but it is certain that all four have their own circle that they will bring to the polls on Sunday.

There has been no new big wave of registrations and the total membership is close to 170,000. The question is whether the old core of the party will come to the polls in large numbers, but also how the roughly 100,000 new registrations that emerged from the 2022 congress will fare, while in the final stretch it seems that the leadership race will focus on Achtsioglou and Kasselakis.