In Greece The leader of the main opposition party Syriza has resigned and founded a new party without even giving it a name.
After turbulent months that saw the left-wing Syriza leader resign after being ousted by its central committee, Stefanos Kassellakis has announced the creation of a new party.
The party is so new that it has not yet been given a name, but Kassellakis said it was “a continuation of the democratic party Syriza, not the one that is currently preventing people from participating in the party process.”
Kassellakis was barred from entering the Syriza congress hall in Athens on Friday because he is no longer a member. Tensions then escalated, and Kassellakis organised a meeting of his supporters for Saturday afternoon.
At a gathering in his office, he announced the birth of the as-yet unnamed party:
“Today a movement is being created, a movement of democracy and free citizens. I will tell you about the name in a few minutes. Yesterday we had a dilemma. The dilemma was: do we legitimize the process and make it right with our silence, or do we speak out? Because silence is not really guilt, it is complicity.”
“You will decide what to call this movement. You will be its owners, and its president will be your servant,” he added.
After Kasselakis’ statement, some SYRIZA MPs said they would also leave the party and become independent.
This means that the center-left PASOK party will now become Greece’s largest opposition party.
