“File a motion of censure against me”. Stefanos Kasselakis did not finally lift the gauntlet of the internal opposition during the meeting of the Central Committee of SYRIZA in the shadow of the new appeal addressed by 99 members of the Committee to appeal to the polls. “As tempting as it is to pick up the gauntlet, I choose to abide by the legality and the statute. File a motion of censure against me,” he said.

“The grassroots will judge the censure… I was chosen to change everything, to dissolve every faction every shop and shophouseend the baronies, end the coalition of factions” explained the president of SYRIZA.

At the beginning of his speech, Stefanos Kasselakis wished that “the way everyone will speak today will be worthy of the history of this party”. At the same time, he appealed to “everyone to keep in mind what they have been through in the last one year and yet they are all in this room. There is something that unites us and we have arrived here together.”

Then Mr. Kasselakis characterized as “critical crossroads” the Central Committee which gives two options, “to draw a road map for the future to free the country from the most relentless government of Mr. Mitsotakis and the second to continue a sterile intra-party confrontation which not only does not concern the Greek people but it repels him and hurts our base.

I want to believe that we all seek the first and not to become the “useful idiot” of the Mitsotakis government”.

Launching an attack on the prime minister, he said that “Greece is plagued by a multiple crisis, economic, institutional, social. The ND government is collapsing under the weight of arrogance and lies.”

“Instead of some people telling them to leave, they are telling their president to leave. We live as a party what Gramsci has said “the old has died and the new is slow to be born”. And the old one does what it always does, it will deny that it has been overcome and prevent the new from being born.”

“When I go to leave ahead, a radical change, I’m trapped by a system which is made to not change anything. SYRIZA either changes or sinks, that is the truth. I will try with all my strength so that the new and the new are born. The struggle is difficult and unequal. The clearing for SYRIZA is the statutory conference”, Stefanos Kasselakis also said.

About Alexis Tsipras he said that “even the factions made Tsipras resign. Then it was Philis and Tsakalotos, now they just changed the names. And these factions didn’t let Alexis change the party, while he managed to change a lot in the country.”

Mr. Kasselakis proposed the digital consultation of ideas, internal referenda and primary elections as well as upgrading the Central Committee with 201 members which will meet four times a year plus whenever needed. It will process the proposals of the regional committees. The KE will, among other things, be responsible for the new secretaries scheme.

He was also in favor of the creation of a General Secretary structure framed by an organizational, program preparation, social action secretary. He even proposed that the scheme be accompanied by an executive committee consisting of the board of the KO, the secretary of Youth and the press representative. Regarding the election of the president, he said that it should be done by a universal vote from the base, members and friends of the party.

“In the vision of the modern left, no one is left out, that’s why we open SYRIZA to its members,” he said.

For the deputies, he proposed the obligation for every candidate to be a member of the party. “You are going down with the seat of SYRIZA, the seat belongs to SYRIZA,” he characteristically said.

He also expressed the intention for the president to keep only the options for the State ballot.

“I am not a professional politician. That’s why I pulled the rug. I don’t just talk about what interests me, I talk about the difficult things and everything.”

Responding to those who comment that the Americans planted him in politics, he said that “Tsipras is the one who brought me into politics. He planted me in Epikratias. I honor his government and ours. I have three separate disagreements, the first semester, the Katrougalou law and the height of the pillow. His intervention at the conference took me by surprise. My respect is great and I say to him “Alexis, come and take over, but if you don’t want to take over, support the elected president”. That he didn’t do either is his personal choice and I respect that.”

Regarding the return of Pavlos Polakis, he said that he showed an improper behavior. “I was seduced by a play and when this was proved my own morality dictated the correction of the error. I preferred to feel good about myself and let me know that I will see headlines that Kasselakis submitted to Polakis”.

Commenting on what Pavlos Polakis said about “lifestyle masquerades”, he spoke out against vulgarity and replied: “Dear Pavlos, you upload photos of your fishing and family and you are doing well. Where does lifestyle begin and end?; Is this an acceptable lifestyle because it is of the male school? I choose to move both above and below 200 meters because this is my life.”

Referring to the proposal of the members of the Central Committee to appeal to the polls, he said that “I would be happy and redeemed to go to the elections tomorrow because I have nothing but the people of SYRIZA. Tragic irony to be told I’m stuck in a party where anyone who doesn’t want change pats the chairs. I don’t need the chair, I barely sat on it, I was on the road. The president’s chair is not comfortable, I can’t lean on its back because of the knives. I learned something early that others haven’t. To read what the people of SYRIZA say. On the one hand we have a president and on the other hand you are tired. That’s what he says, don’t you hear it?’

Stefanos Kasselakis ended his speech after 70 minutes with the phrase: “I love you very much”.