By Antonis Anzoletou

They had a long time in Koumoundourou to create an image of like-mindedness and unity. This happened yesterday after the victory of Sokratis Famellos in the internal party elections. Its new president SYRIZA touched 50% (49.41%) and Pavlos Polakis acknowledged his defeat despite the significant percentage he secured himself (43.51%). After the negative scenes that took place in the last year for SYRIZA, the loss of the official opposition position and the poll collapse, the party showed that it has the defenses to continue and the will to continue being a force to be reckoned with in the center-left. The former deputy health minister arguably made a brave move by not counting Nikolas Faradouris’ 5.09% and Apostolos Gletsos’ 1.99% for a new clash next Sunday. Their difference was recorded at 4,139 votes.

The 70,152 members and friends who turned out at the polls may not have been a large number, but the turnout was encouraging. 43,000 people came to the screens for the election of congressmen and if we remove the supporters of Stefanos Kasselakis, who apparently did not participate in yesterday’s process, in Koumoundourou they managed to double the number of people who gave a vote of confidence to the party. The presence of Alexis Tsipras at the polls seems to have helped in this, although the former prime minister refrained from making statements, as he did not want to influence the result. The figures indicate that there were also 11,000 new registrations, which is important to establish if these are old members of SYRIZA who had left and “returned”.

It is clear that now the second main pillar in the party is Pavlos Polakis who will closely monitor the movements of the new leadership. To Socrates Famello the base that supported him this essentially called for a return to a “normalcy” or the way the party was operating before September 2023. Not that everything was rosy before and there shouldn’t be a lot of changes. SYRIZA got a “kiss of life” and it remains to be seen if it is enough to regroup and regain a significant role in the progressive space.

Because many scenarios have been heard about his possible election Socrates Famellou could soften the differences with the New Left and in the long term bridges fall between the former comrades with an announcement, the party of Alexis Haritsi cut off all talk: “Scenarios about a return or cooperation with SYRIZA are imaginative and out of place and time. We refer to the recent interventions of Alexis Haritsis, at the conference and the central committee. The country needs a militant and credible opposition with a programmatic plan and connection with society to answer its real problems.”

The next day in SYRIZA will not be easy. Regrouping will be a painful process especially when the party is also threatened with new departures from the parliamentary group. Yiannis Sarakiotis was yesterday in Gorgopotamos with Stefanos Kasselakis during the visit made by the president of the Democracy Movement to the region. Will the MP of Fthiotida proceed with its independence? This week will be pivotal for developments, as everyone is waiting and Evangelos Apostolakis will take the stand. The honest and consistent stance taken by the head of the State ballot, Elena Akrita, cannot but have put double pressure on the former Minister of Defense. After first clarifying that the seat belongs to the party and that she is not going to leave for the “mountains” of the Parliament together with her other six colleagues, yesterday with her new statement she “stirred up the waters” by clarifying that she will not remain in SYRIZA and will resign from MP if Pavlos Polakis is elected president. By insisting a lot on rights issues, it is possible that Elena Akrita rang a “bell” with her attitude for the “murmur” that will cause Koumoundourou not to elect Sokratis Famellos.