There have been developments in the last few hours in SYRIZA, after the decision of the party’s Member of State, Othonas Iliopoulos, to resign from his seat, at the same time requesting that it end up in the hands of the current president of the party, Stefanos Kasselakis.
The runners-up
However, for this to happen, the runners-up on the State ballot of SYRIZA, Popi Tsapanidou, Michalis Kalogirou, Tzeni Livadarou, Athanasios Tsakris and Georgeta Lalis, who are ahead of Stefanos Kasselakis on the list of the State ballot, will still have to resign.
Popi Tsapanidou
Popi Tsapanidou will be called as the first runner-up to take on the duties of SYRIZA state deputy, as the associates of the Speaker of the Parliament pointed out, regarding the resignation of Mr. Othona Iliopoulos from the parliamentary position and the next steps to fill the parliamentary seat
In particular, colleagues of Mr. Konstantinos Tasoulas clarified the following while speaking to APE-MPE:
a. Resignation from parliamentary office is, according to the Constitution, a right of the parliamentarian. Once submitted, it cannot be revoked.
b. The resignation is followed by her announcement in the Plenary Session of the Parliament. After the announcement, the seat is filled according to the electoral law. In this case, the first runner-up on the State ballot of SYRIZA, Mrs. Popi Tsapanidou, will be called to take the oath and take office.
According to the planning of the Parliament, the Plenary will be convened on August 28, 2024.
The post Kasselakis
For his part, the presence of State MP Othonas Iliopoulos, who announced his resignation from Parliament on Saturday, was commented on by the president of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis.
As he emphasizes, Mr. Iliopoulos “adorned not only the State ballot but also the Greek Parliament”, while noting that “he will always be a valuable interlocutor and partner for me”.
“Othon Iliopoulos graced not only the State ballot but also the Greek Parliament. The choice of Alexis Tsipras to put him at the head of the State ballot was a clear message from the former President about the real excellence that SYRIZA wished to represent.
It is an honor for the political life of the country that such personalities are involved in politics. And I sincerely wish that his academic obligations would allow him to complete his term.
Personally, I thank him for his contribution to SYRIZA and our parliamentary group, for the voice he gave to expatriates in parliament, for his true camaraderie and ethos.
He will always be a valuable interlocutor and partner for me,” he said in his post.
Kasimati to Kasselakis: “President, your seat in the Parliament is waiting for you”
At the same time, in a post, the SYRIZA MP, Nina Kasimati, thanks the State MP, Othona Iliopoulos, for what he offered from the position he held. He emphasizes that now “a unique and unprecedented opportunity is presented for Greece, the Greek People and Hellenism of the Diaspora, which possesses inexhaustible – but deliberately underutilized – forces for the promotion of national issues and the dynamic hegemony of Greek culture abroad.
This opportunity is for the president of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanos Kasselakis, to become the first Leader of the Official Opposition and future Prime Minister, being himself a Greek Expatriate and a worthy child of Hellenism in the Diaspora”.
In her same post, Mrs. Kasimati concludes by saying: President, we are waiting for you in your seat in the Parliament for our big battles!
Nina Kasimati’s full post:
Tzakri for Iliopoulos: “He contributed essential parliamentary work and an unprecedented ethos”
Regarding the resignation of Iliopoulos, the secretary of the party’s committee, Theodora Tzakri, expressed her thanks on behalf of all SYRIZA MPs to him.
Mrs. Tzakri also points out that his election marked the substantial strengthening of the ties of the democratic faction with Hellenism Abroad.
Ms. Tzakri’s statement:
In 2023, the distinguished Professor of Medicine Othon Iliopoulos was elected Member of Parliament as head of the SYRIZA-PS Territory ballot, marking the substantial strengthening of the ties of the democratic faction with Hellenism Abroad.
Professor Othon Iliopoulos contributed, not only a targeted and essential parliamentary work, but also an ethos unprecedented for the political conditions of Greece.
Today, as the Secretary of the Parliamentary Group of SYRIZA-PS, I came to know about the resignation of the esteemed colleague, as he remains a fighting professor and researcher in very important and global programs that require a lot of his time outside of Greece.
At a critical juncture, in which each and every MP of SYRIZA-PS offers their services to the Official Opposition devoting all of their time, Professor Othon Iliopoulos did what he believed was most useful for the Country and Science.
He devotes himself to his scientific work and, according to his statement, he gives his seat to the President of SYRIZA-PS Stefanos Kasselakis, in order not only to strengthen our Parliamentary Group through the participation of its elected president in Parliament, but also to not one of the essential signifiers of his election is altered, namely the physical representation of Diaspora Hellenism in the Greek Parliament.
On behalf of all fellow MPs of K.O. of SYRIZA-PS I want to express our warm thanks for his contribution as well as our warmest wishes for the success of his scientific work for the benefit of humanity.
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