The SYRIZA Political Secretariat held another meeting centered around the ongoing internal party conflicts and deposed party president Stefanos Kasselakis. In a decision published after the meeting, the party tried to distance itself even further from Kasselakis while attempting to portray a semblance of unity.
The Secretariat defended its decision to bar Kasselakis from running in the upcoming intra-party elections as an “absolutely statutory and democratic decision was taken by a large majority.”
Kasselakis was ousted as SYRIZA party president after a vote of no confidence last month. Kasselakis expressed intent to run again, but his candidacy was barred amid infighting last week. Kasselakis has since responded defiantly, urging supporters to remain in the party and push for change in the upcoming party congress.
In their statement Thursday, the SYRIZA secretariat stated firmly that “no one can hinder the institutional collective functioning of SYRIZA, stop its necessary reconstruction, and deprive it of the duty and the mandate for an official opposition, which the Greek people gave it in the elections.”
Notably, the Secretariat condemned Kasselakis for his actions in light of being barred, such as creating an online platform using SYRIZA’s name, calling it “a consciously misleading choice, since it uses the name of SYRIZA-PS in its domain name and inside, but also antagonistic to our party.” Kasselakis announced the website in a television interview on Tuesday. Called “Our Own SYRIZA,” the website asks voters to register, though it is not registration for the SYRIZA party but a way for Kasselakis to construct a Rolodex and gauge his base of support.
Additionally, the Secretariat rejected accusations made by Kasselakis that 50 members of the Central Committee were “paid”, labeling these claims as false and harmful to the party.
The meeting also mentioned the way Kasselakis supporters refused to take entry cards outside a recent Central Committee meeting – allegedly to prevent the committee from reaching the required quorum–emphasizing that such actions would not be tolerated.
In addition to the inter-party drama, the Secretariat criticized the current New Democracy government for its handling of Greek-Turkish relations, and the domestic issue of healthcare spending. They accused the government of undermining the public healthcare system and failing to address its core problems, expressing support for yesterday’s healthcare workers’ strike.
