SYRIZA’s strategic defeat calls for strategic decisions
SYRIZA’s defeat at the polls on Sunday was a strategic defeat. It did not concern one person exclusively or the election campaign, nor does it point to certain organizational weaknesses. It is a combination of all three.
The leftist opposition obviously let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers after July 2019. The 31.5% SYRIZA got in those elections paved the way for its leadership to pursue a series of options and to develop a convincing narrative that would not only rally the center-left majority but also create the conditions for the party to be elected to government again, perhaps not now, but later. From the outset, though, SYRIZA showed itself to be too eager to get back into the seat of power – and that was its first big mistake.
In the meantime, the changes that needed to be made either were not made at all or were not as deep as they should have been. This made SYRIZA appear lacking in direction, a program and an ideological identity. It also came across as overly centered on its leader, with everything seeming to revolve around Alexis Tsipras. Personality-wise, SYRIZA remained what it was when it lost the election in 2019, with Tsipras believing himself to possess more clout and charisma than he does. Sunday’s result showed that he overestimated his powers and underestimated his weaknesses.
Furthermore, SYRIZA’s program announcements seemed vague and hastily assembled and were, therefore, unconvincing and unable to attract centrist voters. What all this resulted in was the feeling that organization and professionalism is lacking in the party’s day-to-day operation.
SYRIZA remained what it was when it lost the election in 2019, with Tsipras believing himself to possess more clout and charisma than he does
Good news is hard to find after such a devastating defeat, yet there are valuable lessons that can be learned. Firstly, that there is definitely a center-left and leftist pole, even though it is fragmented and not a majority. SYRIZA just needs to pluck up the courage to reach out to these forces, without arrogance and pettiness, and without a tendency toward isolationism. Furthermore, SYRIZA needs to refresh its leadership – not later, but soon. It has plenty of fresh and charismatic officials who are well suited to such a role, after all, and these people represent hope for society first, and not just for the party.
SYRIZA must continue to exist. It must regain a leading role on the political stage and be there for the people who need it: people suffering from poverty and injustice, people experiencing all manner of oppression, people of daily toil and dependence on a salary – in short, people who need a more just world. Otherwise, our world will only get worse.
Nikos Marantzidis is a professor of political science at the University of Macedonia.
