“In our party I see comrades and competitors and my only opponent is Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his anti-popular policies, the responsibility does not fall on us because it only concerns our party, but it concerns all progressive democratic and left-wing citizens who are anxious for the future of the wider space “, emphasized the secretary of the KE Rania Svigou.

He underlined that the great progressive faction that will win can be built and win the “Mitsotaki regime” only if it has a strong SYRIZA PS at its core and heart, with a modern and updated strategy, with positions and a program for today and tomorrow , which will give solutions and proposals where others will remain silent, which will overcome its impasses, with a clear program and political goals and not with simple appeals to unity for unity’s sake.

He said that “we can’t pretend that everything is fine, and we cannot ignore the intervention of fellow former president Alexis Tsipras, an intervention that sheds light on our problems and shortcomings and which our president Stefanos Kasselakis rightly did not ignore either, because it is a clear intervention that tells the truth” . “We can’t pretend we don’t listen, it would be an insult to our world, our history, our government’s achievements, the victorious struggles we fought. To the left-wing progressive citizens who supported us even in the most difficult moments.” He said that “but we did not rise to the occasion, we hurt them”, with mistakes, failures and introversion, with unclear messages”. He commented that “some, instead of looking at how we can make the foundations of our common home stronger, made the decision to leave without a political dispute, even reaching the point of calling on Alexis Tsipras to self-criticize in order to justify their departure allegedly he did not want a plan against the anti-SyRiza front, but also to turn against the collective decisions taken with a large majority by the ’22 congress, such as the election of a president from the grassroots.”

He emphasized that “however no one and no one can shorten Alexis Tsiprasthe first left-wing prime minister of the country, the man who led a government that assumed historical responsibility and managed to get the country out of the quagmire of bankruptcy and memoranda, who managed to sign the historic Prespa Agreement, to show that the left can he can always rule with a focus on society, restore hope and pride to an entire people.”

He commented that “it is true that we are a party in crisis. The citizens gave us the mandate to rebuild it, to make it more massive, more rooted in society, more serious and more reliable, more resistant to the sirens of neoliberal integration, but also more open to the needs of hope and the dreams of citizens. Transformation of the party into an open, democratic, mass, of the members. No mutation into a non-party, with factions and internal enemies.”

He emphasized that we must first answer what a party of members is. “Is it just an online voting audience or a simple database? These are all tools for a common purpose. The party of the members is the party that listens to its base and above all inspires and mobilizes its members to feel proud, that they have the identity of the member of SYRIZA PS. Because the members have a voice, they discuss systematically, they shape the policy of our party and they are really protagonists in all areas”, he emphasized.

“We are here to add forces, to produce a program and solutions that will rally other forces and not to justify the unwarranted. What we should be concerned with is how we will build on new foundations at home and put into practice the slogan ‘in unity hope and in organization strength’, to rally forces around our progressive program to build an even stronger it will interfere everywhere”, he underlined. He said that to achieve this we must: first, be collective. Second, to have common goals and a clear strategy. Third, let’s have common rules and respect them. Fourth, to discuss, process, and co-decide. Fifth, to be pluralistic as well as functional. He said that we must put forward the collective we, the unity through composition, to recover the seriousness and political preparedness of our party, with responsibility, sobriety and respect for the constitution and decisions, with a political function that is democratic and organized on the basis of a political plan which binds all and sundry.

Mrs. Svigou pointed out that today the major international challenges should be discussed, today’s Europe “where the extreme right is constantly increasing its influence and the right competes with it in xenophobic rhetoric, the updating of the party’s strategy and program, “how we will get rid of the Mitsotakis government as soon as possible, which continues its destructive policy”. He added that “our conference should focus on society and its needs, on how we will contribute to ignite new foci of questioning of government policy, to show in practice that there is a path of social justice, of supporting the labor forces, of solidarity , of feminism and rights, of our visions for a just world, for socialism, democracy and freedom”. He emphasized that “this road cannot but pass through a strong and militant SYRIZA PS”.

Mrs. Svigou gave a brief account of her tenure as secretary. She pointed out that both she and George Vasiliadis were choices of Alexis Tsipras, thanking him for that. “We fought with all our strength for the expansion of the party, based on the conference decisions”, with organizational work throughout Greece, together with all the executives of the Central Committee and the PG. “We worked for the reconstruction of the party as well as its readiness in a quasi-election period even though no elections had been announced. Our party demonstrated organizational competence during the parliamentary elections, but this was not enough and the reasons for the defeat, as described in the plan of seats, concern both the party and its connection with society, as well as our political plan”, he said. She added that after the double elections both she and Giorgos Vassiliadis “with a sense of responsibility submitted our resignations twice, Alexis Tsipras himself asked us to remain in our position so that the party can proceed orderly in the elections for the selection of a new president”. “During the difficult summer and autumn of ’23 we kept an absolutely neutral attitude and tried with all our might to keep the party united. We ensured the faithful and unwavering observance of the statutory provisions in an impeccable and unaltered electoral process and at the same time with the party’s presence in the self-governing elections. After the elections and the election of the new president by a body of 150,000 members, we supported Stefanos Kasselakis in his new duties. We did all of the above correctly, because that means taking responsibility in difficult times,” he said. He added that “for what we did not achieve due to my mistakes and omissions, I personally bear full responsibility and I assume this from the first moment”.

Mrs. Svigou thanked Giorgos Vassiliadis “who is a companion in every sense of the word, a brother who with his hard work, persistence and humor is the best supporter and fellow traveler, as you all are, despite the disagreements counterclaims many times, in the end we will all come out together”.

He emphasized that “we must be by each other’s side especially in these difficult momentss, because the world needs a left that will stand by it and it will answer its problems with solutions, a party that will be everywhere.” He noted that “we need this party, because this is what the great social majority needs. We must all build this party together”, to conclude: “I call on you to take a stand, not to be afraid of dialogue, not to discount our history and legacies and at the same time not to waste a single day of opposition for the interests of the people and to implement the great upheaval”.