What went wrong from 2019 onwards and the party failed to recover is the work of the pre-congress dialogue that will start soon
By Antonis Anzoletou
Alexis Tsipras would have imagined his departure from the leadership of SYRIZA in a different way. Possibly through the mediation of a new term in the Maximos Palace.
This is what he tried to do for the past four years, but simple analog had other plans. No one could have imagined in Koumoundourou in the summer of 2016 that the change of the electoral system would be the beginning of the end of his path to the presidency. Was it just simple analog? No.
What went wrong from 2019 onwards and the party failed to recover is the work of the pre-congress dialogue that will begin soon. An in-depth political introspection is what is required for SYRIZA beyond the new leader, the new faces that will come to the fore and its orientation on the political geographical map. Of course, it is sufficient that he also performs his parliamentary – opposition duties adequately. The new heads of K.O. after all, they have been charged with this task.
The few days of his absence from the helm of the party showed that the next day will not be so easy. Alexis Tsipras had the ability to always act as a “firefighter” for the fires ignited by trends. Components were abolished in the 2013 Congress, but disagreements never were. Respect for his person was a given and even with several complaints, the “golden ratio” was found.
To the question of whether Alexis Tsipras could remain at the helm of SYRIZA, which many believe he essentially re-founded, the answer might not be so difficult. Two crushing defeats in such a short period of time cannot be sustained by a leader. Especially if it is a former Prime Minister who first brought the Left to power. Mistakes were made, there were delusions, internal party reflexes were in some cases defeated by emotion, while opposition exaggerations about the “impoverishment of the Greek people” obviously did not help.
Alexis Tsipras, handing over the “keys” of SYRIZA, released forces and “unfrozen” everything in Koumoundourou. He greatly decongested the atmosphere knowing that the obstacles in front of him, regardless of his self-evident re-election, were many.
The rechristening of SYRIZA seemed to be a one-way street and it could hardly be done with Alexis Tsipras at the head. New faces are needed and the former prime minister is hard to get the spotlight off of him. And what is certain is that with 47 MPs and 17.83% of June 25 chasing him very hard, he would be able to exercise the opposition he would like. He was used to making his positions and interventions from the position of the powerful.
Four years ago it may have lost, but it held the party’s forces close to its governing percentages. On May 21, SYRIZA showed that it had closed its historical cycle. Everything that happened from there was a last ditch effort to avoid a collapse. And to a certain extent the goal was achieved with the presence of Alexis Tsipras.
The question of whether there is “garlic without garlic” will be answered from September 10 and the first big and important milestone will be the European elections next June. What is certain is that the former prime minister would not be able to remain in his position with the “expiry date” of the Brussels polls.
The party has a good period of time ahead of it to reconnect with its social base, to “concrete” its existing audience and to open up further. The internal party processes, the new president, the conflicts in the Parliament and the interventions in the society will show the way. If during this time there needs to be an intervention by Alexis Tsipras, it means that things are not going well.
Source: Skai
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at News Bulletin 247 for the past 2 years. I mostly cover politics news. I am a highly experienced and respected journalist. I have won numerous awards for my work.