Alexis Tsipras

Alexis Tsipras "is and will remain a huge political asset for the country and for the left worldwide," one potential contender for the leadership position in SYRIZA has said.

Efi Achtsioglou made the comments on social media a day after Tsipras resigned as leader of the main opposition party.

HALC's Erini Kosmas interviews Harris Mylonas about SYRIZA's defeat in the last election, the resignation of Alexis Tsipras from SYRIZA's leadership, and the future of the left in Greece in the wake of New Democracy's massive victory 

Following Alexis Tsipras' resignation as the leader of the leftist opposition party SYRIZA, speculation has intensified about his successor. The 48-year-old's decision came in the aftermath of the party's heavy defeat in the May 21 and June 25 elections

SYRIZA's crushing defeat in the May 21 and June 25 elections had de facto put the leftist party on the road to change - and the resignation of its leader Alexis Tsipras.

In a televised address on Thursday, Tsipras announced his decision, stating that "the time has come to start a new cycle," while calling for the party's reform.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the decision of Alexis Tsipras to resign from the leadership of SYRIZA was "expected" after his party's poor showing in several election battles.

Alexis Tsipras announced on Thursday he had submitted his resignation from the party's leadership after SYRIZA suffered a crushing defeat in two elections held in May and June.

The executive committee of the leftist main opposition is holding an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to discuss the future direction of the party, after the dismal results at the May 21 and June 25 elections that saw the party trail behind the Conservatives by a wide margin in both votes.

In the runup to the election, now-Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that increasing the minimum wage to 950 euros and the average salary to 1,500 euros was a "realistic goal" over a four-year horizon.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras is set to miss the Party of European Socialists (PES) European Council Preparation Meeting on Thursday according to party sources on Wednesday. Reportedly, Tsipras has prior engagements on that day.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis proved to be the right man at the right time when he was elected to lead New Democracy in 2016. The party needed someone who knew the mechanisms of politics from an early age and, at the same time, was seen as an outsider, a technocrat who could deal with the populism of the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government.