By Antonis Anzoletou

With what happened at the SYRIZA conference last weekend in Charilaou Trikoupi “they were rubbing their hands.” The image of a party that is torn apart, divided, that will hardly manage to find its “governing self” within three months consolidates PASOK in second place, changing the political map as it has been consolidated since May 2012.

THE Stefanos Kasselakis is preparing a series of changes – moves that will bring calm to the party, however the image of SYRIZA is not attractive. In the “grey zone” are currently, according to the pollsters, a large part of the center-left-progressive public who are looking for political shelter and wavering. Their options are three: either they will choose one of the two “big ones”, or they will go to the other left-wing forces, unless they remain on their “couch” waiting for the European elections to pass.

SYRIZA and PASOK they are in a completely different phase. In Harilaou Trikoupi, they can talk about the upward trajectory they are recording and the very long distance they have covered since the 4.68% of 2015. They want to become a government pole and for June 9 to be the “signal” for a return to power . For this, not only the second place is enough, but also the percentage that the party of Nikos Androulakis will receive. That it is not taking full advantage of the vacuum that exists in the space and the fall of SYRIZA is an issue that concerns the staffs. Recently, a policy of conflict with New Democracy (non-state universities, afternoon surgeries) has been followed in the sense that the government is copying PASOK’s policies roughly and without guarantees. At the same time, it “turns a blind eye” to a more left-wing public, which sees that SYRIZA can no longer express it.

In Koumoundourou they know that the European elections also have the character of a protest vote. The difference is that this time it may not only be the government that is punished, but also the official opposition that does not find a way to recover and highlight its institutional role. In this case, the scenario for SYRIZA will be disastrous, as the loss of second place may be accompanied by a bad percentage. Many assume that the developments in the party will run from the day after the European elections. In the event that SYRIZA regroups its forces, the complaints are reduced to zero, runs proposals of law and gives a thunderous presence in the social field, it is clear that the losses will be limited. Stefanos Kasselakis wants to speed up the changes and even the convening of the Central Committee on Sunday has fallen on the table, without, however, final decisions being made.