Kasselakis Urges Open Alliances, SYRIZA Members Push for Referendums

SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Stefanos Kasselakis addressed the party’s Central Committee meeting on Saturday, stressing the need for openness in forming alliances with other political parties.

Kasselakis highlighted the party’s historical contributions and underscored the obligation to function as a leading political force within the progressive space.

Kasselakis acknowledged the declining support for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who dropped to 28% in the June European elections, and noted the public’s growing desire for change. He emphasised the importance of modernising, renewing, and strengthening SYRIZA to regain the trust of progressive citizens.

Regarding collaborations with other parties, Kasselakis insisted on transparency and respect for the independence of each formation. He argued that secret agreements to boost electoral percentages would be unethical and ineffective, advocating instead for gradual, grassroots-level agreements among progressive forces.

Kasselakis highlighted that party coalitions must be genuine and not just a means to achieve power, pointing to historical failures of such unions. He referenced the recent French elections, where the leftist coalition did not succeed in diminishing the far-right’s influence.

Proposal for Intraparty Referendums

During the meeting, 80 Central Committee members, led by Christos Spirtzis, proposed two intraparty referendums. They expressed disagreement with Kasselakis’ interpretation of the European election results and raised concerns about potential irregular funding within the party.

The members called for the leadership to disclose any evidence of illegal funding to prosecutorial authorities and suggested an audit of SYRIZA-PA’s finances by certified public accountants.

The first proposed referendum would ask whether SYRIZA-PA should lead the reconstruction of the progressive space, without dissolving existing parties, to challenge New Democracy in the next national elections.

The second referendum proposed that changes to the party’s founding charter be approved by the grassroots members directly, rather than by representatives at a congress for a new charter.