“I changed the time of my speech to address you now because now is the time for all or nothing,” the party president said from the floor of the 4th Congress of SYRIZA Stefanos Kasselakis.

I really appreciate the comrades who are collecting signatures not to hold new elections for the president. My partner asked us to protect SYRIZA and it broke my heart. MPs and executives who hurt SYRIZA declare that there is no need for elections, we have a president and we are moving forward. I thank them from my broken heart. I thank you with deep emotion,” he added.

“Unfortunately, this is not possible”, Mr. Kasselakis emphasized and referred to points in the letter – intervention of Alexis Tsipras as well as to an excerpt of the speech of the former minister and MP of SYRIZA Olgas Gerovasilis.

“I will respect whatever you decide. But I will tell you the truth. Indeed, no one is holding me back. I am held by the great collective we”, emphasized the president of SYRIZA.

“I invite you to open your eyes and vote. It is not possible for me to remain president under these conditions. On Thursday I entered the conference whole, but wounded by months of questioning. How can I leave the Congress on Sunday in pieces?”, said Mr. Kasselakis.

Referring to the proposed date for holding internal party elections, Mr. Kasselakis argued that “obviously some have a plan for me to melt my shoes around Greece and those in the channels to get closer to SYRIZA. Some have a plan for the bad election result in the European elections. Some want to charge me with failure so we can go to a new ring.”

He also called on the delegates to take the party into their own hands and hold elections on March 10. “There are no dead ends in the Republic. Even in intra-party democracy there are no dead ends. Turn your heart to stone and give clear solutions now. Elections on March 10 so that the winner has time to fight the difficult battle of the European elections. And an open horizon for the national elections. To regroup the deeply wounded SYRIZA, without stabbings, without suffocating deadlines”, he said characteristically.

“March 10 elections and immediate constitutional changes. The party needs them. I cannot be a president who will go from internal party conflict to European elections. I can become president on March 10 with a horizon of national elections. With a clear mandate to transform SYRIZA into a modern engineer and to become in practice the one, great progressive alliance that will win the corrupt right of Mitsotakis”, he added.

“Some have crossed their arms. What do we do about these few who consider themselves the leaders and the leaders? What do we the many do against the few who came from corridors, lunches and secret dinners, who are playing chess at our backs would-be kings and queens?”

“I love you very much, take SYRIZA into your hands, we will win” said the party’s president Stefanos Kasselakis closing…