SYRIZA braces for decisive weekend
The polarization and disintegration of leftist opposition SYRIZA was on full display again on Thursday at the meeting of the political secretariat, which, tellingly, lasted just one and a half hours, a historic low by the party’s standards. Since there was no completed proposal for the party statute, all the attention was on the leadership challenge faced by SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis, who, however, did not pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Pavlos Polakis.
“I agree that in democracy there are no deadlocks, there must be a political agreement to take us to the polls. If that does not happen then there is the other step, which you know, is the central committee,” Polakis said.
Several members of the “group of 87,” who have also challenged Kasselakis, took the floor and spoke in favor of an appeal to the party’s base.
Olga Gerovasili said that “in democracy there are no dead ends. You have to lead the party to the polls.” “The problem is in the leadership. He must go to elections,” she said. Deferring the conflict to the weekend central committee, Kasselakis, for his part, said, “I believe that a motion against me hurts and liquidates the party, offers nothing and hurts our people.” He did, however, say that his critics have their right to choose how to proceed.
