Kouloglou claims Kasselakis considered leaving politics, mulled media role after EU election results
Stelios Kouloglou, a former SYRIZA MEP, has claimed that main opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis considered leaving politics and even discussed a potential career change with a media executive following the party’s poor performance in the June European Parliament elections.
“Immediately after the European elections, Mr Kasselakis was disappointed with the outcome, as he had anticipated a better result. At that time, he explored the possibility of retiring from politics or finding another job in case he was removed. He even spoke with a media businessman about potential opportunities for collaboration,” Kouloglou, now a member of the SYRIZA splinter group New Left, told Attica TV in an interview.
Kouloglou, who has in the past worked as a journalist and documentary filmmaker, also claimed that Kasselakis, who married his American partner Tyler McBeth in Crete in late August, faced pressure from his family to withdraw from politics.
“He is also facing pressure from his family to step away from the situation he entered,” Kouloglou said.
On Sunday, Kasselakis was ousted by SYRIZA’s central committee via a motion of no confidence, just a year after being elected to the position, amid accusations from party members of being authoritarian and not fully aligned with the party’s ideology.
