By Antonis Anzoletou

The leverage of SYRIZA’s European elections has turned into an “elevator”. The positive, however, for Koumoundourou is that recently it has only been going up. Official opposition officials are not negotiating the second position, which they consider to have been “locked”. It is not only the wave of opinion polls that leads to this conclusion, but the fact that PASOK, as they estimate in SYRIZA, does not show that they can develop any momentum that threatens them.

What does Stefanos Kasselakis and his partners want now? To give the image of the “governing Left” that is returning. That’s why the party chairman periodically proceeds with “morale booster injections” of the grassroots. This is what he did during the interview he gave to TRT Thessalia.

“What I am asking Greek men and women is to look at our ballot, to support these really excellent people and many young people who want to contribute, to give us at least a very strong percentage, which has a “2” in front of him essentially and to send a message to the whole country that this is the opposition we want, which will be able to govern”. There is no doubt that a percentage of more than 20% will give Stefanos Kasselakis the opportunity to proceed almost undisturbed with the changes he wants in the party, as well as to dream much more for the future. On the contrary, a not good result will “wake up” the internal party opposition which faithfully observes the informal moratorium that exists after the February congress.

As his colleagues say, this rhetoric is based on the climate that Stefanos Kasselakis is receiving throughout Greece, as the citizens are no longer only angry with the government, but also convinced that the new SYRIZA can be the solution to their problems. After all, according to polls, it is the only power that manages to increase its strength, even if at a slow pace.

It is up to SYRIZA to avoid “blunders” in the next period that may cost it. The fact that Pavlos Polakis has raised the stakes recently on the issue of vaccines is not something that pleases Koumoundourou. Yesterday he had a new round in the “debate” with Grigoris Gerotziafas that had started the previous week. Voula Kehagia’s reference in the first pre-election briefing was indicative. He “cleared” the MP from Chania and to a question he received, he answered that “the position of SYRIZA-PS, as it was formulated during the pandemic period, regarding vaccines, is still valid”.

Stefanos Kasselakis closes today in Xanthi, Kavala and Drama a long cycle of tours that actually started a week before Easter in the Aegean islands, went to the Ionian Islands, Epirus and ended up in Thrace. His stay in Athens may be combined with local visits, as the bet for SYRIZA is that the former “castles” of western Athens, western Attica and second Piraeus will be won, giving very good percentages to the party.