“Today is a very special and difficult day. We have left a party in which we are neither passers-by nor yesterday, we have been building it for many years. It is also a very difficult moment on a personal level, but it is also an act of responsibility”, Alexis Haritsis stressed to ANT1.

A few hours after his independence, along with 8 other MPs, from SYRIZA, Mr. Haritsis said “It is good to look at the big picture: we have the ND government and the official opposition of SYRIZA which is slipping into disrepute and it shows in public opinion surveys. We haven’t discussed it in the media lately, we haven’t appeared there at all. We discussed it in the party organs, the problems from the leadership group’s backstabbing and authoritarian attitudes for the formation of the party organs.”

He explained that “We are leaving for reasons that have to do with politics and ideology and democracy within the party. I think it does not fit neither with the past of SYRIZA nor with the demands and expectations of society for a progressive way out of the impasses created by the Mitsotakis government”

“We didn’t go out to the media to criticize or create internal opposition. Political timing matters. Our main difference is how we perceive politics: politics means style, ethos, political content, it’s not a deal at the level of political executives”, said Mr. Haritsis.

He claimed that “we have seen a mutation of the political space that we set up with great effort in the previous years, which is far removed from what we set up in the previous years. The steering wheel is turning to the right, but also towards discredit and disrepute, and the Greek sees this as well.”

He added that “We took a decision of responsibility, but also a decision of hope because we believe that there are possibilities, because the ND of Mr. Mitsotakis plays ball alone in the political field and it is necessary for the left and the progressive forces to form an alternative proposal to that of Mr. Mitsotakis”.

“Our opponent is not the party of Mr. Kasselakis, but the government of Mr. Mitsotakis. Radical cuts are required, we have served in government positions and know what is required,” said Alexis Haritsis.

Answering a question from Nikos Hadjinikolaus about the next steps of the MPs who left SYRIZA, he said that “there is no need to rush, we want steady and solid steps. Our first goal is to form a Parliamentary Group that will enable us to unfold our programmatic proposal at the parliamentary level and we will see the next steps to form a party. I am particularly optimistic, I see people who have become independent with experience and knowledge, covering a wide range of issues that we can deal with very competently. We want a Left that will trust its powers and claim power.”

Asked if he will lead the new Parliamentary Group, Alexis Haritsis replied “We will see the role of each one, we will discuss it. The main thing is to form a Parliamentary Group and produce a policy”.

“Alexis Tsipras has made his choice and it is respected by everyone, alas. We want to defend key strategic successes of the SYRIZA government in 2015-2019 and show that we can do it in the future as well. In the last few days, Mr. Kasselakis has not defended them”, he responded to a comment by Nikos Hatzinikolaou regarding the former President of SYRIZA and the fact that he remains an MP of the party.

“Our eyes are on the future. We are a left-wing force that will reach out across the progressive spectrum to be able to voice the anxieties of society. I cannot know if there will be more departures in the future, we are interested in joining forces with many others, it is an opportunity for other forces from the field of ecology and social democracy, forces from different movements to come and join together us”, concluded Mr. Haritsis.