The earthquake that shook the Greek Syriza party from within for months is fading. The figure of Sokrátis Fámellos, the new designated leader of the party, is attributed with the arduous task of rebuilding from the rubble a party which, after a long period of internal struggles and debates, finds its compactness and stability undermined. What brings together consensus is a profile that ideologically originates from the traditional Greek left but which during his political career has been compared to its more moderate current.
As Euractiv reported, over 70 thousand party members participated in the elections, and Fámellos obtained almost 50 percent of the votes.
The epicenter of the earthquake
In a context of general fragmentation of the left-wing political forces, Sokrátis finds himself at the helm of a party that has survived the earthquake originating from mistrust towards the previous leader, Stéfanos Kasselákis. In September 2024, the Greek banker and entrepreneur was removed from the leadership of the party after the approval of the motion proposed by several Syriza members, less than a year after the beginning of his leadership.
The already marked fractures were thickened by Kasselákis’ decision to create a new party, the “Movement for Democracy” which includes some Syriza members among its members.
Reconstruction begins
“Let’s rebuild our house from the foundations,” declared Fámellos, whose hope is to bring the Greek left back to where former leader Aléxis Tsípras had managed to take it, winning the government twice before the sensational electoral failure in July 2023, when he suffered a heavy defeat by the New Democracy People’s Party.
