Senior SYRIZA officials propose center-left shift in European politics
Three members of SYRIZA’s political secretariat are urging the main opposition party to join the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) political group in the European Parliament, stating that the move is a crucial component of a broader strategy aimed at positioning it as the primary representative of the progressive political space in Greece.
The proposal was put forward by Costas Zachariadis, Thanasis Theocharopoulos and Giannis Ragkousis ahead of the party’s conference next month.
Presently, SYRIZA MEPs are aligned with the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL), the left-wing political group in the European Parliament. Nevertheless, they hold observer status within the S&D – a status established under the leadership of the previous leader, Alexis Tsipras.
In their joint statement, the three members emphasized, “It is time for SYRIZA to decisively declare that it aims to become the main center-left force, the primary representative of the country’s big progressive coalition. This entails expressing and, above all, uniting citizens from the left to the center who do not align with the strategy of the conservative party.”
“The battle of the upcoming European and national elections will not be decided on the grounds of the radical left but on the grounds of the center-left,” they said.
“In the current circumstances, there is no justification for delaying the crucial decisions that hinder us from making essential inroads into the realm of the center-left, representing the majority in the progressive sphere.”
According to SYRIZA officials, any decision on the issue will be taken during the party congress.
The 2024 European Parliament election is scheduled to be held on June 6-9.
