The former leader of Greece's main opposition party, the left-wing SYRIZA, Stefanos Kaselakis announced today that he is forming a new political movement a day after announcing , that he is leaving SYRIZA, reported the Greek edition “Kathimerini“.
Kaselakis told a crowd chanting slogans outside his new headquarters in southern Athens that “today is a happy day because a movement of democracy, free citizens and progress is being created.
„We are creating a movement by society, for society”, he declared, wishing “good luck” of those remaining in SYRIZA, specifies BTA.
Kaselakis declined to say what his party's name would be, hinting that the name would be decided by a vote.
„You will decide what will be the name of the movement that will become a party. The party will be yours and I will be your servant”, he said.
Last night, in response to his exclusion from the upcoming SYRIZA leadership race, Kaselakis announced he was leaving SYRIZA less than 14 months after being elected party leader. Four MPs from the left party left it after Kaselakis announced his withdrawal from it. Thus, the SYRIZA deputies in the 300-seat Greek parliament become 31, the same number of deputies of the Greek center-left PASOK movement.
Even after his election last September, Kaselakis, who is openly gay, emerged as a controversial figure among the leading factors in SYRIZA. His descent from a wealthy family with shipping interests, his career in the US, his joining the left shortly before his election as head of SYRIZA led many to question whether he was the right figure for the post, and the internal party opposition often accused him of being authoritarian and undemocratic grasped at his leadership. SYRIZA's failure to improve its position in June's European Parliament elections despite a drop in support for the ruling New Democracy has spilled the beans on Kaselakis' discontent in SYRIZA's governing bodies.