Opposition to name change proposal
As main opposition SYRIZA heads to its congress this weekend, the most difficult one of recent years, there has been no letup in the tension between its leadership and the internal opposition.
The name change proposed by its leader Stefanos Kasselakis has been derided by many as an attempt to strip the party of its association with his predecessor Alexis Tsipras. According to reports, even MPs and officials who support Kasselakis disagree with removing “Progressive Alliance” from the name as it symbolizes enlargement and he was told as much at a meeting of the party’s statute committee on Tuesday evening.
Parliamentary group leader Nikos Pappas, an ally of Kasselakis, emphasized to Mega TV on Wednesday that “I am not very sure that we should be concerned with the issue of the name at the congress,” while Vassilis Kokkalis pointed out that he disagrees with the name proposed. Kasselakis has insisted the party needs to be a progressive movement and reportedly has not ruled out the idea of the SYRIZA “brand” remaining, with the “Progressive Movement” as a second component.
