Kasselakis calls for ‘convergence,’ not full-scale alliance among center-left parties
Opposition SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis has acknowledged the necessity of cooperation among Greece’s center-left parties while ruling out a full-scale alliance.
“No one disputes the need for convergence. However, this must be conducted transparently, in full view of progressive voters, and with respect for the autonomy of existing groups,” Kasselakis told the central committee of the leftist party on Saturday.
“To negotiate any agreement behind closed doors with other parties solely to increase our share of the vote would, in my view, be unethical. Moreover, such an agreement would not only lack ethics but also prove ineffective,” he said, stressing that the political product of such a pact would be “absurd.”
“Alliances formed merely by sticking together have never succeeded in defeating a ruling party, no matter how corrupt [the party] may be,” he said, advocating instead for “a gradual convergence of progressive forces from the grassroots.”
“Either we progress together or risk being left behind by society. Let us advance collectively toward a modern, patriotic Left,” he said.
In the same speech, he proposed the radical overhaul of the party structure, including the replacement of the central committee and the political secretariat by new bodies.
Earlier in the day, members of the inner-party opposition issued a statement criticizing Kasselakis and proposed two referendums: one to amend the SYRIZA party charter and another to actively pursue the creation of a progressive alliance to contest the next national elections.
