“From the beginning, Mr. Kasselakis showed that he wants to go with everyone and at the same time move the party forward. We have experienced a defeat in the national elections, there was the departure of Alexis Tsipras who remains a great political capital, therefore there was a situation from the first day, there was a questioning of Mr. Kasselakis from the first day and it was evolving every day”, said the former secretary of SYRIZA Panagiotis Rigas on Friday morning on SKAI and the show SIMERA.

“We hear heavy talk, that the party is entangled, it absolutely offends us“, he continued.

“I couldn’t be in a party where the president came as a “planter”, whenever you understand that they went beyond what was dug and I think we all had to protect ourselves, including myself personally”, added Mr. Rigas.

When asked about the impeachment of top executives, he stated that “were the actions of Stefanos Kasselakis absolutely justified, the question is, can some people say what they say and continue to be in the party?” Personally, if I had political disagreements, I would leave alone”he said.

“We would be much stronger if we had a common front against the ND”

“I cannot accept threats from anyone. When you are insulted and you insult political paths and places, when you have to deal with the New Democracy… So all this needs a different way, a different handling. We would be much stronger if we had a common front against the SW and not internally.”

“We cannot oppose our own party”

Easked if the press office will determine which MPs will appear on TV shows he said: “Initially, I will start from the basics, that we should be educated, have the agenda that we should impose and have a unified expression. Our front must be on the world’s problems. We will not allow everyone to come out and enter this process. The intention is not to put barriers on anyone. No one will be excluded. We will try to put this into practice so that there is a united voice. We cannot oppose our own party”.

“When Mr. Vitsas says that he has found the name of the new party, you realize that it is something beyond me”, commented.

“The point is not to go beyond what has been learned”

“If we need to make a political secretariat, we will do it. If all this develops, you are not serving the goal you had as the official opposition and as a space for the progressive democratic Left, so you are diminishing – and it can be seen in the opinion polls – the dynamics of the party in solving the problems. So either this stops and then we will see what will happen with these extreme expressions that preceded or there are no other ways. I want something unified, our party had a peculiarity, there was always the possibility of freedom of opinion, the point is not to go beyond the usual”, said Mr. Rigas.