Kouvelis defends stance as Democratic Left MP leaves party
Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis (photo) defended his party’s role in the coalition government on Saturday as a member of its executive committee announced his departure from the grouping.
At a meeting of the party’s central committee in Athens, Andreas Nefeloudis said he was leaving Democratic Left because he felt it was no longer committed to its founding principle of creating a left-wing government.
“Our party is legitimizing the hardest neoliberal decisions that have been taken since the fall of the junta,” said Nefeloudis.
“It would be dishonest of me to to continue to be another voice of dissent within the party.”
Three MPs have left the party since it became part of the coalition government in June, taking its total number of MPs to 14.
Kouvelis insisted his party was right to make some compromises, suggesting that all Greek governments for the foreseeable future would be coalition administrations.
