The work of the fourth and final day of the SYRIZA PS Congress began with the installation of delegates, before the speech of the party president Stefanos Kasselakis and the votes.

Today’s last day of the 4th Congress of SYRIZA-PS is critical as it will be called upon to decide whether to re-elect the leader or not

Katerina Notopoulou: In today’s day when O. Gerovasili declares herself present.

“The question before us today is of existential importance not only for SYRIZA but also for our political system,” said Katerina Notopoulou. He emphasized that the progressive faction cannot be left without a core, which is SYRIZA, and that “we cannot sit back and do nothing about it, pretend that nothing is happening”.

“Our party after the departure of Al. Tsipras is in a prolonged crisis, it is not the mourning of defeat, it is the depression of its management by the successors of Alexis Tsipras. Collective responsibility exists and no one is exempt, we all take our share, but unity is not a slogan but an experience and our experiences lately have become a nightmare,” he said.

He emphasized that “Stefanos Kasselakis was elected president in the grassroots elections, there is no doubt that he was democratically elected, we respected and supported him. Six months now we have not articulated a coherent opposition speech, with palinades, what is the point of a three-year contract instead of a plan for victory. We are falling into the void as Alexis Tsipras aptly warned us. Does no one here care about the fall and impact?”, he said. He said that “the president is asking for a blank check for three-year changes of all kinds, some people here are asking that polls not be set up in order to supposedly prepare for the European elections”. “Actually they have already discounted the defeat and are only anxious about how to prepare their own election campaign, to raise the issue of the president after the defeat, which they will then blame on the president. Is this true?” he commented. He argued that “no postponement leads to tomorrow” and that “in today, when Olga Gerovasili is not waiting, she declares herself present, for the party in a difficult moment to stop the decline, because SYRIZA must change but not dissolve”.

Yannis Bournos: No to the new leader election

He criticized Alexis Tsipras in the speech of Yannis Bournos, saying that his intervention canceled the main mission of the Conference.

Continuing, he said that instead of discussing the positions, the Congress has plunged into a disastrous introversion 100 days before the European elections and added: “Five months ago we elected a president against a sponsored candidacy which then caused a sponsored split. Elections are needed for prefectural committees and Central Committee. In the European elections, the stake is one: to defeat the anti-leftist strategy of Androulakis and the PASOK leadership group and to confirm SYRIZA-PS as the main force against the right faction. The European elections should pave the way for a total reset and the victory of left-wing ideas in the national elections.” In closing, he said: “As far as I’m concerned, I declare myself present, on the side of all the comrades and comrades who stayed here and give and will give everything, and the last straw to keep the party standing against the sponsored splits.” Finally, he declared his agreement with the positions of Nikos Pappas, Sokratis Famellos and Kyriaki Malamas – who have opposed the new election.