Tsipras tries to end debate on leadership, boost unity

Leftist SYRIZA completed a two-day session of it political secretariat on Wednesday with leader and former prime minister Alexis Tsipras seeking to draw a line under speculation about a possible challenge for leadership of the party.

In a speech to members, Tsipras said debate about the possible need for his reelection through a vote by party members was “disorienting and of no concern” to him. 

“I don’t feel that I need an election to acquire authority as a leader,” he said, adding that, with him at the helm, SYRIZA had won “three elections, a referendum and, in the elections we lost, one in three voted for SYRIZA.”

In a bid to emit a message of harmony amid concerns about infighting, Tsipras also took the opportunity to express his support for Panos Skourletis, the party’s secretary.

Any attacks against him or any other officials should be tackled “collectively, with unity,” he said.