Internationalist Workers' Left

Two lawmakers of the main opposition filed on Tuesday a criminal complaint with the prosecution of the Supreme Court asking it to investigate whether a minister and a former regional governor attempted to deceive voters ahead of local elections a few weeks ago.

Three senior members of the main opposition have slammed an overnight decision by SYRIZA's new leader to expel them for openly criticising his views, saying that it is up to the party's ethics committee to push out members.

SYRIZA now seems like two parties in one

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Saturday denounced opposition SYRIZA for "spreading fake news" at a time when the entire state apparatus and the citizens of large areas were facing the most intense natural phenomenon ever recorded in the history of Greece.

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.

SYRIZA's Parliamentary Group Chairman Sokratis Famellos denounced the government during Thursday's Parliament debate on the wildfires, saying that despite the announcements, the country appeared unprepared for the danger.

Greece's leftist main opposition is holding its standing congress to approve the candidates running for party leadership at the Foundation of the Hellenic World on Saturday.

The congess' agenda includes only that topic, and its proceedings will open at 11 a.m.

Stefanos Kasselakis, a Greek ship investor, declared his intention to run for the leadership of the main opposition on Tuesday, becoming the fifth candidate to enter the race.

The 35-year-old submitted his candidacy in a letter to the Prefectural Committee of Hania on Monday.

SYRIZA's choices of candidates for the local elections in October show that the party is out of touch with society. It is also heading fast toward a phase of introversion and contraction, leaving a vacuum in the opposition.