In September 2023, Kasselakis was elected from nowhere to head Syriza. Since then, the party has been mired in toxic infighting.
Kasselakis, a former Goldman Sachs trader, faced criticism over his opinions on the economy, NATO, and Israel, which were seen as far apart from that of the left. The legitimacy of his wealth declaration was questioned. A media tour of his posh apartment in a rich Athenian neighborhood, while employees at the party newspaper and radio station were left unpaid for months, was also heavily criticized.
Last November, dozens of members left Syriza and created the New Left party. The discord has swelled since the party’s poor performance in June’s EU elections, with Kasselakis maintaining an aggressive stance against the majority of the party’s members and particularly toward his predecessor, Tsipras.
He was eventually blocked from standing as a candidate for the Syriza leadership after he sent a legal threat to the party last month.
Since Friday evening, four MPs have announced they are leaving Syriza, while some eight more could follow them.
Until Friday, Syriza had 35 MPs in the Greek parliament, followed by Socialists Pasok with 31 MPs, which means that by Monday Pasok could probably have replaced it as the country’s main opposition.
