SYRIZA is led to the two-day Central Committee, which begins on Saturday, in an absolutely conflictual atmosphere.
And this is not only because in Thursday’s Political Secretariat, Pavlos Polakis and Olga Gerovasilis (“87”) demanded an immediate appeal to the intra-party polls for the election of a new leader, but also because Stefanos Kasselakis, in his response, reserved shots also against Alexis Tsipras, whom he called a “silent fish” whenever, as I said, he attempted concerted parliamentary action.
Inevitably, associations, forces and alliances are expected to clash at the weekend’s Central Committee meeting.
- The “87” are calling for a vote without having made it clear whether they themselves will present a motion of censure or whether they will draft another motion of censure that will be presented, obviously pointing in the direction of Polakis.
Three points are critical:
- In principle, what will S. Kasselakis’ introductory speech be like?
- Second, if a motion of impeachment is filed and
- Thirdly, how will Kasselakis’ side respond immediately to such an eventuality.
If a motion of censure is tabled, the procedure provides for a vote and if it is accepted, the way is opened for a conference to be held which will focus on the procedure and nominations for the election of a new leader.
Still, even if it is not accepted, no one can rule out an initiative by the president in which he would propose a conference procedure to decide whether or not to hold a leadership vote.
In this process, proposed statutory changes may also be considered by the delegates, including the name change.
The fluidity of the scene in SYRIZA is indicated by two recent positions:
To be deleted Chr. Spirtzis
Note that after the third sterile call of Christos Spirtzis in the “discipline” of SYRIZA, the three-member committee that took up his case refers him to the plenary session of the SYRIZA Ethics Committee (meeting on Tuesday) with the question of elimination.
Stormy meeting of the Political Secretariat
“I consider that a motion of no confidence in my face hurts and liquidates the party,” SYRIZA President St. Kasselakis reportedly said during the Political Secretariat.
Continuing, he would have said that “a motion of censure does nothing and harms our world as well. It is a great nuisance from the very body that decided the constitutional conference.”
During the meeting, Olga Gerovasili, Thanasis Theocharopoulos They said that in democracy there are no dead ends and asked Stefanos Kasselakis to take the initiative in the party’s internal elections, for the confirmation or change of leadership.
The Pavlos Polakis who challenged the party chairman stood firm saying: “I agree that in democracy there are no dead ends. There must be a political agreement to go to the polls. If there is not, then there is the other stage of the Central Committee which you know very well. I mentioned it”, implying the suggestion of censure. Furthermore, Pavlos Polakis cited as an example Nikos Androulakis’ initiative for the elections in PASOK-KINAL.
According to the same information, Stefanos Kasselakis asked Pavlos Polakis and Olga Gerovasilis to commit to staying in the party in any case, as they both did. The SYRIZA president commented on today’s televised statements by Olga Gerovasilis, with the vice-president of the Parliament responding that they were misinterpreted and that “she herself has always been against divisions and separations”.
Finally, the President of the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group, Nikos Papas, it is said that he does not look favorably on a possible censure of the party president and recourse to the polls. As he said to his interlocutors, “we should stop bothering the members”.
“Silent Fish”
It should be noted that Kasselakis’s response at the beginning of the Political Secretariat meeting contained clear points against Alexis Tsipras: “I was honest and sincere towards everyone,” the SYRIZA president reportedly said, and explained that he was also honest towards those who left the party, “towards Euclid Tsakalotos, Nikos Fili, Panos Skourletis, Alexis Haritsis, and even to Efi Ahtsioglou to whom he proposed to take whatever position he wanted, with the aim of moving the party forward.”
Continuing, always according to the same information, he would have said that “he was also honest with Alexis Tsipras”. Especially for the former party president, he said that “still in April, after the event for the European elections, I was sending him messages to coordinate joint initiatives, such as on feminicides but he was as silent as a fish.”