Countdown to SYRIZA election showdown
Leftist party heads to vote for new leader amid acrimonious exchanges between rival camps
With elections for a new leader of SYRIZA just a day away and the main opposition party in the grip of a veritable civil war, the acrimony between the rival camps of Stefanos Kasselakis and Effie Achtsioglou is also raising questions about its cohesion after the elections, no matter who the winner is.
Newcomer Kasselakis, a 35-year-old businessman, had managed to upset the favorite, 38-year-old former labor minister Achtsioglou, in the first round on September 17, with the latter unable to withstand the “communication storm” unleashed by the former.
However, there is a feeling that Kasselakis may have shot himself in the foot with a series of mishaps since his resounding victory last Sunday.
On Friday, he found himself in hot water and was roundly condemned for calling the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus “their [the Turks’] statelet” during comments to reporters after a rally on Thursday.
Achtsioglou was quick to denounce the “serious mistake that reveals ignorance about one of the most critical issues of our foreign policy.”
“This should give us cause for concern. I imagine Mr Kasselakis will retract his statement. For the sake of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance. For the sake of all of us,” she said, while there were also reactions in Greece and Cyprus, and within SYRIZA itself.
Kasselakis duly responded with a video statement on Friday morning, saying that he committed a verbal error, which he attributed to fatigue and insomnia caused by his campaigning.
“There are times when I am looking for a word in Greek… Of course [the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus] is a pseudo-state. The occupied territories are the wound in the heart of Hellenism. Let no one worry. I learn words very quickly. It’s a matter of two months of practice for me,” he said.
He was also weighed down by the claim that he had met with the leadership of the civil servants union, ADEDY, about a labor law bill, only for the union to say it never happened.
What’s more, there was also pushback in response to his comments on changes regarding military service.
According to the Achtsioglou camp, the mishaps only demonstrate his lack of political experience, as it seeks to chip away at his nine-point lead ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
