SYRIZA on course for implosion
Kasselakis’ referendum proposal on expulsions opposed by officials who had supported him
Main opposition SYRIZA has been plunged into turmoil again, after the proposal by its leader Stefanos Kasselakis to hold a referendum about the expulsion of prominent dissenters from the party appears to have backfired as senior figures that had so far backed him expressed their disagreement.
In a post on social media just a day the party’s central committee convenes, Kasselakis called on the main opposition party to hold an internal referendum on the expulsion of “four party members who brutally insulted all of us.”
In October, Kasselakis had announced he was expelling Nikos Filis, Panos Skourletis, Dimitris Vitsas and Stefanos Tzoumakas from the party. On Friday, Skourletis and Nikos Voutsis, a former parliamentary speaker, announced their resignations on the grounds that the new leader was abandoning left-wing principles.
Moreover, top officials who had either supported Kasselakis or had taken a neutral stance during the election for a new party leader left him out in the cold, expressing their opposition to the referendum proposal.
The common thread in their discussions is that there is no reason to even talk about expulsions since resignations have already been announced.
These issues, they said, cannot be resolved by referendums. Among the objectors are Olga Gerovasili, Kostas Zacharias, Thanasis Theocharopoulos, Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Giannis Ragousis, Nikos Pappas and Alekos Flambouraris.
All seven of these official had senior post during the leadership of Kasselakis’ predecessor, Alexis Tsipras.
“Unfortunately, these days texts of party members’ resignations are coming to light. Among them are members who have been referred to the ethics committee. The public statements continue. The suffering of our members must stop. Especially in the light of today’s [Friday] denunciatory statements, we consider it self-evident that the reasons for the referrals to the ethics committee are no longer valid. Let alone holding a referendum on such a matter,” they noted.
The mood within the party was belligerent to say the least ahead of Saturday’s crucial central committee with various factions within SYRIZA preparing their stance.
