With the aim of unity and the recovery of governability, the Political Secretariat of SYRIZA met today, to decide the road map to the Congress and until the announcement of the elections to elect the new president.
It has been decided that the first polls for the new party leader will be held on November 24. On the same day, the members of the new Central Committee will be elected. If a second round is required for the election of the president, then the voting will take place on Sunday, December 1.
It will be preceded by the election of delegates for the Congress on October 19 and 20. The conference will be held November 1-3. This is the recommendation of the Political Secretariat to the Central Committee, which will meet on September 21 and 22. It’s basically next weekend.
The announcement of SYRIZA
After the meeting of the Political Secretariat, the Official Opposition party issued a statement about the body’s decision. The full text of the announcement is as follows:
“The Political Secretariat of SYRIZA-PS met today with the aim of implementing the decisions democratically adopted and based on the party’s statutes of the last General Assembly, regarding the holding of the Extraordinary Congress and the election of the president, as well as for better preparation of the party, in view of his presence at the TIF, next weekend.
As decided by the Council, in two weeks, the Council will reconvene to plan and collectively decide on the road map for the future, guided by the observance of all the prescribed procedures, and as a compass the faithful and strict adherence to the statutory provisions.
The proposal of the PG to the KE which will take place on September 21-22, is for an Extraordinary Congress on November 1-3, 2024, with the election of delegates for the conference on October 19-20, election of a new president and Central Committee on Sunday, November 24 and if a 2nd round is needed on Sunday, December 1.
It is clear that our opponent is Mitsotakis, his anti-popular and destructive policy. A prime minister who appeared at TIF unrepentant, without the slightest empathy. Sticking to the same anti-popular and anti-social policies that impoverish the social majority and benefit the few and economically powerful. The so-called benefits he announced, such as the meager increase in pensions, or the increases in private employees, health and uniforms, turn out to be crumbs, which will be dissipated by precision and inflation. It is incapable and not interested in providing solutions to housing, the exclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises from bank lending and the Recovery Fund.
On the contrary, SYRIZA-PS will present to the TIF a comprehensive and specific program, which will respond with credibility and persuasiveness to all the major issues that concern Greek society. From accuracy and speculation, to taxation, and from the housing crisis to the defense and strengthening of the social state, Health, Education, Civil Protection.
Because the foundation and guide for SYRIZA-PS is the historical responsibility towards the left-wing, progressive, democratic citizens, but also towards the Greek society, to carry out the duties of the official opposition even more dynamically, and to create the conditions for the progressive counter-attack, for political and social change in a progressive direction. At this critical juncture for SYRIZA-PS, we call on the members and friends of SYRIZA-PS, with their active participation, to strengthen the voice of the party and its perspective.”
The background
The political content of the decision taken by the Political Secretariat was decided by complete unanimity. There were however quite different approaches during the meeting. The different approaches were mainly about the dates, while all sides agreed that the party must quickly regroup and move forward together.
There were also discussions about the format of the conference, whether it will be extraordinary or permanent, while there were also disagreements about the dates. According to information from ERT, the members of the Secretariat who are close to the “100” who submitted the motion of censure had proposed to hold the pre-conference dialogue in October, as it was finally decided, November 7-10 to hold an extraordinary conference and the end of November or the beginning of December to make the leadership election and not to follow fast track processes.
Pavlos Polakis and Theodora Tzakri advocated that the election be held on November 3, that the Congress be held in mid-October and that it be permanent, that is, that it be held with the old representatives.
The Polakis proposal
“I believe that the wound of SYRIZA must be healed and closed quickly with the expression of the opinion of its members and the whole world that I believe will participate in the process of electing a new president. I consider that the first task is to organize the struggle to bring down the Mitsotakis government”, noted Pavlos Polakis, attending the meeting of the Political Secretariat of SYRIZA, pointing out that “the latest that the elections should be held is the first weekend of November. We have no room to go any further. Any further means a paralyzing state.”
To a question about whether Stefanos Kasselakis can be a candidate again, he answered: “Of course it can be. These extremes which are heard and which are largely palatable, are not the real situation. Of course he can be if he wants. But there are also scenarios circulating here that he is waiting for a poll to form another party. I hope that is not the case.”
The Kasselaki stop
Stefanos Kasselakis may not have opened his papers yet, however executives close to him are calling for the internal party polls to be held soon for a new leader.
While waiting for the next moves of Stefanos Kasselakis, his close family spoke to MEGA about the plans of the former president of SYRIZA.
“He’s not outgoing, he’s up. The results will be seen soon. Present, rising not outgoing,” said the father of Stefanos Kasselakis.
To the question of whether Stefanos Kasselakis will claim the leadership of SYRIZA again or form his own party, his father replied: “Whatever he decides and God enlightens him, we are by his side in whatever he decides.”
Watch the video:
The departures
In the meantime, close associates of Stefanos Kasselakis continue to leave. Fourth in line, Voula Kehagia who resigned from the position of SYRIZA press representative.
With her post on X, she thanked Stefanos Kasselakis for the trust he showed her, but also everyone who worked with her during the 6 months she held the position of representative. As he says: “Thank you to those party officials who treated me in a friendly manner and to those partners who ensured our perfect cooperation. I’m looking ahead.”
After Babis Papadakis, Eugenia Kountouri and Voula Kehagia, it was the deputy press representative of SYRIZA Dimitris Vettas. The SYRIZA executive resigned from the post of deputy press representative in charge of regional media.
The new representative of the party until the election of the leader will be the deputy until now, Pausanias Papageorgiou.
Source: www.enikos.gr
