SYRIZA: Kasselakis barred from race for party president

SYRIZA’s political secretariat said on Wednesday that Stefanos Kasselakis has been barred from the race for the party’s leadership. The decision leaves Apostolos Gletsos, Pavlos Polakis, Sokratis Famellos and Nikos Farandouris vying for the spot.

The candidates will be approved at the upcoming party congress, which will be held on November 8-9 in the downtown Athens district of Gazi, the party announced.

“Through this election process, SYRIZA will emerge stronger and better equipped to fulfill the mandate given by Greek citizens for a credible opposition, acting as a solid barrier against the anti-popular agenda of the Mitsotakis government,” the political secretariat’s statement read.

“Unfortunately, along this journey, we have witnessed behaviors that are inconsistent with our shared goals. The refusal to accept collective decisions and the provisions of our statutes, as well as the legal notices sent to the central committee and the political secretariat, are choices that are politically unacceptable,” it added, referring to the leadership war that broke out in the party’s ranks following its poor showing in the European Parliament elections in June.

Kasselakis was deposed from his position as leader of the main opposition party in September – a year after being elected – following a vote of no confidence by the political secretariat, where 17 members voted in favor of his removal and one, MP Theodora Tzakri, voted against it. Some party members have argued that Kasselakis should remain in his role until SYRIZA’s congress next month.

During Wednesday’s meeting of the body, Tzakri raised several questions regarding procedural issues and alleged attempts to “cut off” delegates. She requested details about the congress venue and the certification process for delegates.