SYRIZA in two-horse leadership race
After the withdrawal of Dionysis Temponeras, SYRIZA’s leadership battle is likely to end up being a race for two after Olga Gerovasili’s candidature with the behind-the-scenes support of former leader Alexis Tsipras, against the incumbent Stefanos Kasselakis.
By Sunday afternoon, when the congress will have been completed, all potential candidates for the presidency of the leftist opposition party are expected to have put their cards on the table.
So far, only Gerovasili, a deputy parliamentary speaker, is reportedly the rival that will clash with Kasselakis.
Tsipras, the former prime minister, had rebuked Kasselakis over his recent request for a carte blanche and his commitment to retaining the party leadership until the next national elections, irrespective of the outcome of the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.
Meanwhile the contacts between senior party officials and bargaining are in full swing, concerning the timing of the vote and whether new members who will register with SYRIZA on the day of the vote can participate.
The new leadership race was triggered on Thursday, on the first day of the party congress, when Kasselakis confronted those who have challenged his leadership of the party, accusing him of forfeiting SYRIZA’s identity, stating emphatically, “Find me an opponent and I’m ready to go.”
Speaking to the SYRIZA-affiliated Kokkino radio station on Friday, Kasselakis said, “The changes that must be made in our party are changes that must match the party with society.”
“This is like gravity, you can’t avoid it. So that’s what we will do. Beyond that, believe me, I’m the last person stuck in the chair. I’m here to give back to my country,” said Kasselakis who, despite his clash with senior party figures, still maintains the support of a significant number of SYRIZA officials.
