Newly-elected SYRIZA president Sokratis Famellos is looking to perform a resuscitation of the struggling SYRIZA party, this week selecting key figures for pivotal roles, and arguing that a stable future is in the cards.
“I believe in a bigger and stronger SYRIZA”, he stated in a television interview this week. He said the party “must and can regain its credibility”. He did note however, that “not everything will happen automatically”.
SYRIZA’s Political Secretariat’s meeting today and tomorrow’s Parliamentary Group session are critical moments of transition, as the party solidifies its post-election framework and navigates months of factionalism and a nose-dive in approval rates.
In the aftermath of a significant parliamentary shake-up—losing almost a quarter of its seats (down from 35 to 27 MPs) within two weeks and thus its position as the official opposition party—SYRIZA faces the challenge of recalibrating its course.
Famellos is expected to entrust key roles to those within his inner circle—individuals who were instrumental to his leadership campaign and in whom he has confidence.
To Vima reports that Giorgos Karameros, Member of Parliament for Eastern Attica, is a strong contender for the position of SYRIZA’s press representative. Karameros, currently leading an inspection of weather-related damages in Lemnos as head of the Transport-Infrastructure sector, has been a consistent advocate for Famellos’s vision.
There is also speculation that Christos Giannoulis, a deputy parliamentary representative, might be considered for the role.
Meanwhile, as SYRIZA adjusts to its new position outside the official opposition, it must forfeit a third parliamentary representative, leaving it unclear whether the additional role will go to figures like Nikos Pappas.
Dionysis Kalamatianos, MP for Ilia, is widely expected to assume the role of party secretary, while Pavlos Polakis—Famellos’s former rival in the presidential race—will take on expanded responsibilities both inside and outside Parliament, reflecting efforts to unify the party’s leadership team.
In a candid interview on MEGA channel’s “Big Picture” show, Famellos dismissed questions about factionalism within SYRIZA, “SYRIZA will be a structured, serious party with a unified voice,” he declared, in which “there are no divisions”. On the contrary, “we will proceed with democracy”, he asserted.
He emphasized the need for a stable and unified leadership team, as the party aims to regain support ahead of the next electoral cycle.
“Too many mistakes have been made,” he stated. “We must not look back, but forward.”
