Kasselakis leaves SYRIZA - Announces his own party

Stefanos Kasselakis is severing his ties with SYRIZA and leaving the party, as he announced speaking at his headquarters in Tavros.

At the same time, he informed his supporters of his decision to establish his own party.

“Come here tomorrow at 1pm for the most independent, ground-breaking movement to be created in this country” he said characteristically.

It was preceded by a turbulent first day of work at the SYRIZA congress in Gazi, where delegates who supported him walked out sporadically.

Departures of MPs

Earlier, their decision to become independent and at the same time to leave the party was announced by Corfu MP Alexandros Avlonitis and Kilkis MP Petros Pappas.

Mr. Avlonitis cited what happened on Friday night at the extraordinary congress with the ban on the entry of elected congressmen and said that his resignation will be formalized on Monday.

Shortly before 11:00 p.m., Ralia Christidou also announced her departure from SYRIZA. “I have no business in such a party” he stated.

The Conference is in a warlike atmosphere

With a delay of almost three hours, the extraordinary conference of SYRIZA started, while there was no shortage of tensions, pushes and objections.

The president of the KO of SYRIZA, Nikos Pappas, spoke of thuggery, disrespect and squalor.

“We’ve never seen this at a conference before. It is clear what the source of the unrest is. We appeal to those who organize such plans. They are in vain, they will fall into the void,’ stressed to add how “fuel was added to the fire from a certain side. SYRIZA’s finances are crystal clear. We didn’t solve our differences with out-of-court and lawsuits.”

Pavlos Polakis made his self-criticism from the stage of the Conference saying that he has “the rock of responsibility” of. “I’m taking full responsibility and I’ll do everything I can to steer the ship where it needs to be” he emphasized.

The party’s presidential candidate Apostolos Gletsos began his speech by attacking Stefanos Kasselakis, accusing him of “did he come to the KE to tell the comrades that they are hoodlums and that our party has black funds and that we are involved?”.

“We must all make it clear that these images that we saw have nothing to do with the left and the progressive faction, with the kindness, the culture of the people of the left”commented Sokratis Famellos, starting his speech at the extraordinary conference.

The candidate for the party’s president said that “the party is the victim of the attack that has been carried out lately and those who are victims and do politics with intrigue are the ones who cannot do real politics.”

“We are all here who deserve to remain in SYRIZA because some left”said the candidate for the party’s presidency, Nikolas Farandouris.

He accused Stefanos Kasselakis of destroying the government project of SYRIZA with reports of black funds and collusion and added:After the election the death spiral involved demonizing those who we believe SYRIZA can lead the progressive faction.