SYRIZA: The Central Committee decided to exclude the candidacy of Kasselakis – Passed with 138 votes –

With a clear majority, the decision was passed not to be a candidate in the process of electing the leader of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis.

For today’s meeting, 151 members of the Central Committee were accredited, which means that there was a quorum. It is noted that the supporters of Stefanos Kasselakis as well as executives who considered the exclusion “divisive” refused to take accreditation cards in order to prevent the quorum and the decision being taken.

Today’s decision means that Stefanos Kasselakis’ name will not be included in the submission of nominations until October 24. The question is whether the Congress that will follow on November 7-8 will be able to decide otherwise and declare Stefanos Kasselakis a candidate as he and his supporters believe.

Socrates Famous

The candidate for the presidency of SYRIZA, Sokratis Famellos, spoke about an important decision that ensures the democratic functioning and the next day of SYRIZA.

In his statement he also stated that “it was a difficult meeting as there was an attempt to undermine the possibility of the Central Committee meeting. We ratify that the same road map as decided at the previous meeting be followed. As for the nomination criteria, we repeated a decision of November 2023. Behaviors that question the decisions of the institutions cannot be accepted. We defend the rules of the democratic functioning of the party.”

Mr. Famellos also said that “another synthetic step was taken” while to the question of whether “Stefanos Kasselakis was excluded”, he answered that “there was no intention to exclude, however, SYRIZA and its executives cannot be excused for their behavior”.

Christos Spirtzis

After today’s decision of the Central Committee, Stefanos Kasselakis cannot be a candidate for president, said Christos Spirtzis after the end of the meeting of the Central Committee.

He also said: “After an adventure of 11 months, SYRIZA is returning to the political life of the country. Now it’s time for a “heavy” political conference on everything that the Mitsotakis government has done, as well as cooperation initiatives towards the rest of the progressive world to create a majority government pole”.

Asked if the reference to Stefanos Kasselakis by name in the decision of the Central Committee required an absolute majority of the body, he answered in the negative, underlining that on the one hand it is an “amendment” and on the other hand that “it is clearly described in the statute how the votes are made if there is an overwhelming majority of the body ». In a related question, he clarified that Stefanos Kasselakis “cannot be a candidate after today’s decision”, while regarding the possibility of being referred to the Congress, he stated that it is not possible because the date for submitting nominations is October 24th, i.e. before the congress” .

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Also Read – Polakis: The winner of the elections will emerge with an honest confrontation and with everyone present

Th. Tzakri: What you are doing here today is essentially a new motion of censure

For “a new motion of censure” against the valid candidacy of Kasselakis, Theodora Tzakri spoke in her intervention at the Central Committee of SYRIZA-PS, arguing at the same time that the body meets “without a quorum”, since they do not accept “receipts on the list of names” .

He also emphasized that the so-called “majority” is spreading the word that they will raise the issue of their “removal” from the KO Secretariat, because they “support Kasselakis”. And he wondered if “the smiling Nikos who voted yesterday in the PG to convene today’s KE on the issue of excluding the candidacy of a legally elected president” can remain head of the KO.

“However, since the statute provides in the case of censure a required majority of 50+1 of the total number of members, i.e. 148, obviously the questioning of a validly and timely submitted nomination constitutes a censure against the candidacy. Therefore, in order to exclude a candidate who has submitted the prerequisites validly and on time, 148 votes of the members of the KE are required. Not one less vote,” emphasized T. Tzakri.

In closing, he said that “the time has come to move from the bureaucratic perversion to the participatory democracy of the members and from the tactics of the nomenklatura to finally move on to the development of a strategic hegemony of the defunct SYRIZA-PS.” The faction is too big to be a sad tail of the tangled political system,” he concluded.

Sources Kasselakis: “147 is extremely marginal”

“The 147 is extremely marginal, which has come from two political observations: firstly, that the total number of KE members decreased, that is, from 295, they became 293”, according to sources from the side of Stefanos Kasselakis’ supporters.

As the same sources emphasize, of the two missing persons, one is said to be Lambrinos and “rightfully so, because he belonged to another party, the New Left”, as they emphasize, but “which existed two weeks ago, since he belongs to those who voted in favor of the motion of censure”. “Now that it was not convenient for them, they removed him”, as they note, while “the example after the resignation of Menelaus Givalos is also the same”, as they emphasize.

According to the same sources, “10% of the 147, i.e. 14 members, are on the side of Polakis for the exclusion of the president of the official opposition with such methods”, they conclude.

The wing of friends close to Stefanos Kasselakis denounces an operation to achieve a “monkey” quorum with the aim of excluding the former president from the elections, firing at the “87” that they have entered into an informal triple alliance with Nikos Pappa and Pavlos Polakis, which will facilitate them in terms of their designs.

Tension outside the Central Committee room – The meeting has not started as a quorum is being sought pic.twitter.com/R8oQc9RwAq

— iEidiseis.gr (@iEidiseisGR) October 12, 2024

Finally, late in the afternoon, it was announced that the quorum had been reached and the EC process was starting.

In particular, the member of the SYRIZA Executive Committee, Yiannis Mantzouranis, stated to the journalists:

“The Central Committee of SYRIZA meets normally despite the desperate efforts of some members to create a problem.

A quorum exists and has been established. However, the presence of many members outside the hall without taking a card and making statements shows that they despise the democratic functioning of the party, they prevent the normal functioning of the highest body which is the Central Committee and SYRIZA in any attempt to disregard the democratic processes must protect itself and will protect itself with the decisions he will make”.

Declarations of Tzakri – Economou

“The only thing left is to exclude Stefanos Kasselakis from participating in the elections by decree”, Theodora Tzakri noted earlier in her statement at the place where the Central Committee of SYRIZA-PS is held.

“An hour and a half after the scheduled start of the meeting of the Central Committee, its work has not yet started because there is no quorum”, noted Th. Tzakri and continued: “The secretary and the 87 keep postponing the start time of the work by inviting members to come which, however, so far refuse to come forward and legalize the diversion”.

“What else is going to happen?” The only thing left is to exclude Stefanos Kasselakis’ participation in the elections by decree”, he concluded.

Thanasis Oikonomou, for his part, spoke of a “ridiculous method”.

Specifically, Mr. Economou denounced the “ridiculous method” by which members of the Central Committee who have not received a card are counted as present.

“We attended the venue for very specific political reasons, we didn’t get badges and we didn’t give credentials and they want to count us in so they have a quorum,” he said.

“Another unacceptable method. Our stance is political, we do not legitimize the process. It is a process reminiscent of dark days,” he added, answering a question from those present as to why they do not enter the room.

Mr. Oikonomou’s statement sparked arguments between those present who support Stefanos Kasselakis and the so-called “majority”.

It is noted that before the meeting of the KE is about to start, there must be a quorum, i.e. 148 members.

Thanasis Oikonomou’s comment on SYRIZA’s KE is a “ridiculous method” pic.twitter.com/jHSD4JsMIe

— iEidiseis.gr (@iEidiseisGR) October 12, 2024

Polakis intervention

Pavlos Polakis presented his own opinion on what is happening in SYRIZA, shortly before the Central Committee meeting, where the issue of the candidacy of Stefanos Kasselakis will be put on the table.

As he emphasizes in his post on Facebook, “the winner of the elections will emerge in the light, with an honest confrontation and with everyone present” adding that “my insistence that we march in an orderly manner and without “appearances” and exclusions in the elections, stems from my faith that battles are fought on political terms in society.”