Greece’s fractious main opposition party Syriza was hit by new defections Saturday during an emergency congress ahead of electing a new leader to replace Stefanos Kasselakis, who critics accuse of authoritarianism.
Three lawmakers close to Kasselakis, Greece’s first openly gay party leader who was elected to the post in September last year, defected late Friday.
A fourth left Saturday and additional defections are expected.
Kasselakis and his allies say the party bureaucracy had barred his grassroots supporters from participating in the emergency three-day congress.
On Saturday he launched a new “popular progressive” movement which he said would be financially independent, filling “a major gap in the country’s politics.”
The movement’s name will be determined by a members’ vote, Kasselakis told supporters at offices rented by his team.
Syriza’s leadership ballot is November 24 and December 1.
Syriza’s central committee on September 8 voted to remove Kasselakis following bitter squabbles over his policies and leadership style.
The US-educated former Goldman Sachs trader alienated Syriza stalwarts with a pro-business stance that prompted 11 party lawmakers to defect a year ago and form a rival leftist group in parliament.
Alexis Haritsis, head of the lawmakers who have formed the New Left group in parliament and are also holding a congress this weekend, on Friday said they would not return to Syriza.
The 36-year-old Kasselakis faced criticism after the party newspaper and radio station were left unpaid for weeks this year.
He also controversially claimed in April that a divine sign occurred during his baptism, with the oil in his baptismal font forming into a cross.
Syriza was in power in 2015-2019 under leftist prime minister Alexis Tsipras. Tsipras resigned in June 2023 after leading the party to its second straight defeat in national elections.
The next election in Greece is nominally in 2027.
