Kasselakis defies ouster, vows to stay in leadership race

Former SYRIZA president Stefanos Kasselakis has rejected a decision by the leftist opposition’s political secretariat to bar him from the race for party president, vowing to remain in the race. 

Following the announcement earlier on Wednesday, Kasselakis’ supporters indicated that the former president does not recognize the political secretariat’s ruling and insists that he can still run for the SYRIZA presidency.

Kasselakis’ associates asserted the former party leader’s belief that candidacies should ultimately be decided by the party congress, as outlined in the party rulebook. They emphasized that the congress is the highest authority responsible for such decisions and affirmed that he will still run for president. 

Kasselakis has invested significant effort in electing delegates, hoping to gain control of the congress and overturn the SYRIZA political secretariat’s decision to exclude him.

The other candidates vying for leadership are Apostolos Gletsos, Pavlos Polakis, Sokratis Famellos and Nikos Farandouris.

The candidates will be approved at the upcoming party congress, which will be held on November 8-9 in the downtown Athens district of Gazi.