Tsipras calls for progressive unity, warns of far-right rise amid political fragmentation
Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed regret over the persistent division within Greece’s center-left, while also voicing optimism that a social majority, disillusioned by conservative policies, is seeking political representation.
Speaking on Tuesday evening at a gathering on the Greek economy organized by the political institute bearing his name, founded after his resignation as leader of SYRIZA, Tsipras refrained from directly addressing recent developments in SYRIZA, PASOK, and the New Left, as expected. However, he reiterated the need for “progressive forces and progressive citizens to embrace more ‘togetherness’.” He had made a similar call in June during the first event of the Alexis Tsipras Institute, marking the anniversary of the 2018 Prespa Agreement.
“We must learn addition and multiplication and leave behind division and subtraction,” Tsipras said during the event at the Piraeus Municipal Theater.
He voiced concern and criticism over the recent fragmentation within the center-left, noting that “in recent months, the opposite of addition and multiplication has occurred.”
However, Tsipras suggested that simply forming electoral alliances or merging existing political groups would not be sufficient to challenge the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party.
“Political developments are so complex that they cannot be addressed with simple electoral arithmetic,” he explained. “Perhaps addition alone is no longer enough.”
‘Political developments are so complex that they cannot be addressed with simple electoral arithmetic’
Despite this, the former prime minister expressed optimism, noting that “something is slowly starting to move” at a social level rather than a political one. Yet he reiterated his belief that current progressive forces are not yet capable of offering a fully developed alternative political proposal.
“Without social processes, there can be no political agent of change,” Tsipras said, with some interpreting his words as a possible hint at the formation of a new political party.
“A new social majority will sooner or later demand and achieve the political representation it deserves,” he predicted.
Tsipras concluded with a stark warning about the rise of the far right.
“The current imbalance in the political system, if not corrected from the left, risks being corrected even further to the right, as we are seeing with the rise of the far right in several European countries,” he cautioned.
The event occurred amid ongoing turmoil within SYRIZA, ahead of its extraordinary congress and leadership elections scheduled for next month. While many of Tsipras’ allies within the party were in attendance, there were very few politicians affiliated with his successor, Stefanos Kasselakis. Notably, there were no representatives from either PASOK or New Left in attendance.
The gathering also featured the presentation of a Metron Analysis survey, which confirmed that the cost of living crisis is the top concern among Greek citizens.
Recent polls indicate that PASOK has climbed to second place, trailing behind the ruling conservatives, while SYRIZA has declined to fourth or even fifth place.
