Alexis Tsipras

Alexis Tsipras, the former leader of SYRIZA, expressed his concern about the deep divisions within the leftist party following the election of Stefanos Kasselakis in a meeting with him on Wednesday, sources close to the former prime minister said.

The SYRIZA government was an accident of history. A farce. It arose when Greece went bankrupt and people's anger turned against - rightfully so - the parties that had ruled the country until then: PASOK and New Democracy.

Nikos Toskas, a former minister for citizens protection, announced his departure from the main opposition SYRIZA party in a social media post on Wednesday.

Toskas accused the new leadership of deviating the main opposition party from "fundamental principles of the Left and the needs of the people, while aligning with the dictates of the economic oligarchy."

Greece's main opposition party suffered a split Sunday when a left-wing faction announced it was breaking away, accusing the party's recently elected leader of abandoning its core ideology for a sort of "right-wing populism."

The executive office of the main opposition is meeting on Thursday afternoon on Thursday for the first time under SYRIZA's new leadership amid an internal strife that broke out with the expulsion of top officials by Stefanos Kasselakis.

The meeting is scheduled at 4.30 p.m. at the party headquarters.

How is Alexis Tsipras, the former prime minister and SYRIZA leader, truly faring? What is he currently engaged in? What does he think about the developments within SYRIZA? Does he concur with the unfolding events and their direction? Is everything unfolding as he planned it?

For a democracy to function properly it needs not only an efficient government, but also a strong opposition able to offer, both in Parliament and elsewhere, constructive criticism and viable alternative solutions to the problems facing the country.

Main opposition SYRIZA expects that at least 55,000 members will take part in the Sunday ballot to elect a new leader, which is, however, a far cry from the 152,193 in May 2022, when former leader Alexis Tsipras won the race without a rival for the presidency.

However, the candidacy of outsider Stefanos Kasselakis has apparently revitalized the process. 

SYRIZA lawmaker Efi Achtsioglou, considered by analysts as one of the front-runners to succeed Alexis Tsipras as the leader of the leftist opposition party, spoke to Kathimerini about her campaign, the criticism she has received from within SYRIZA, and the way the party will operate if she is elected president.

It's been less than three months since ruling New Democracy confirmed its electoral triumph in May in a second national election, on June 25, that saw it win well over double the share of the vote that second-placed SYRIZA received - 40.56% to 17.83%.