Motion of ‘no confidence’ against Stefanos Kasselakis approved

The Central Committee of SYRIZA-PS has outlined the next steps following the approval of the motion of no confidence against Stefanos Kasselakis.

It was decided that the party will be represented at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) next weekend by the president of the Parliamentary Group, Nikos Pappas.

In the next two days, the Political Secretariat of the party will meet to schedule a new session of the Central Committee within the next fifteen days, AMNA reported.

The Central Committee will then decide on the dates for the Extraordinary Congress, which will declare the candidates for the election of a new party president.

The Central Committee will also recommend the remaining procedural matters and the date for the presidential election.

During the Congress, there will also be a political discussion about SYRIZA’s policy framework.

Pavlos Polakis has publicly declared his intention to run for the leadership, while Nikolaos Farantouris has left open the possibility of his candidacy in his statements.

NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION

Out of the 295 members of the Central Committee, 286 members voted either in person or by phone.

163 members voted in favor of the motion of no confidence, 120 voted against, two abstained, and one vote was invalid.

Following the result, Stefanos Kasselakis is no longer the party leader, and the process to elect a new leader from the party’s base has begun.

After the vote, Kasselakis addressed the Central Committee, stating:

“I feel relieved because all citizens have witnessed the censure I have faced since the day I was elected leader. It is unprecedented for the party bureaucracy, the nomenclature, and various factions to humiliate the esteemed members of the Central Committee by metaphorically placing a hood over them and refusing to respect the vote of the party members.”

He accused his opponents of resorting to practices that “do not align with the traditions of the Left.”

“My decisions will be announced to those I am accountable to, and I will always be accountable to the SYRIZA supporters.”

POLAKIS

Pavlos Polakis referred to the no-confidence process as a “painful procedure” but emphasized that it sets the path for the election of a new leader in SYRIZA-PS.

“I have made myself available for the next phase and expressed a comprehensive policy framework that could form the core of a political proposal aimed at bringing down the Mitsotakis’ neoliberal government in a short time,” he said after leaving the Central Committee meeting. He also called on members and supporters to “contribute” to ensuring that the processes proceed “in an orderly” and “unifying” manner, “without extreme expressions.”

“The Left knows how to have discussions,” Polakis stressed, adding that regardless of the outcome, he would remain with SYRIZA and continue supporting its future. When asked whether Stefanos Kasselakis would run again, he responded, “If he wants to, why not?”

FAMELLOS

“A democratic process within SYRIZA has come to a close, one that we tried to avoid to prevent division,” stated Sokratis Famellos after the Central Committee meeting, stressing that the process “demonstrated that the members of the CC want a new political proposal that will give SYRIZA a way forward and new prospects.”

He admitted that there has been “shrinkage” and “disillusionment” among the public but clarified that “the next day finds us united in SYRIZA” and that everyone agrees that SYRIZA should be “the main pillar and space providing the most ideas and strength for a progressive comeback.”

“We went through a tough time; this doesn’t leave a mark on SYRIZA. Unfortunately, Stefanos Kasselakis chose this path; we tried to avoid it, but there are no dead ends,” he said.

When asked if he would run for president, Famellos responded that the decision is “collective” and expressed his commitment as a “soldier” of the party.

PAPPAS

Nikos Pappas, the president of the SYRIZA-PS Parliamentary Group, reassured after the Central Committee meeting that the prescribed procedures would take place “with complete smoothness and adherence to the statute.”

“The Central Committee almost unanimously decided to reconvene in two weeks to decide on the details of the process,” he noted, sending a “message of calm” and “democratic dialogue” to the entire progressive community that has been “hurt” by recent developments.

When asked if he would run for the presidency, Pappas said that “there is no chance of opening such a discussion” and that for now, as decided, he will represent SYRIZA at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).