Kasselakis to call on SYRIZA to ditch name

SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis will push for the party to change its name to Coalition of the Contemporary Left at its forthcoming congress as part of a radical shake-up of its structures.

In Greek. the proposed new name contains the term Synaspismos, which the major party that originally formed SYRIZA was called.

Kasselakis will also propose at a meeting of the party’s statute committee later on Tuesday evening that SYRIZA MPs will not be permitted to sit on party bodies, with the exception of its national council, a new body that he wants to replace the existing central committee.

He also wants to limit an MP’s tenure to a maximum of three parliamentary terms. If an MP wants to run for a fourth term, they must stand in a new constituency.

Speaking to local media in Volos ahead of the meeting, Kasselakis stated that the party’s central committee, which will gather this weekend, “has authorized itself … to proceed with a proposal for constitutional changes at the upcoming congress.”

“I’m not going to deviate from our purpose, which is to build a state-of-the-art party that gives voice and the dominant power to party members,” he added.

“I believe that I have the mandate from the [party] basis to proceed with the radical changes that the party needs.”

[This story has been updated]