Stefanos Kasselakis Leaves Syriza After Leadership Struggles

Stefanos Kasselakis has announced his departure from Syriza, the main opposition party in Greece, after the central committee refused to consider his leadership candidacy at a recent congress. This decision follows a tumultuous period for Kasselakis, who entered Greek politics only in May 2023 and was elected to lead Syriza in September 2023. His leadership faced internal dissent, which intensified after the party's performance in elections led to significant losses. The discontent among party members primarily stemmed from perceptions that Kasselakis was not a true leftist, exacerbated by his confrontational approach. Following his ousting by the central committee and the inability to contest the leadership, Kasselakis has decided to establish a new political organization. This continued fragmentation within Syriza has further weakened the party, leaving it with only 31 lawmakers in the Greek parliament, equal to the socialist PASOK party, both of which struggle for support in recent opinion polls showing single-digit figures.