Famellos reaches out to former SYRIZA supporters amid party renewal

Newly elected SYRIZA leader Socratis Famellos has reached out to former supporters who abandoned the left-wing party amid its recent crisis and leadership turmoil.

“SYRIZA must change; it must grow stronger and bigger – both in terms of parliamentary representation and grassroots support,” Famellos said during an interview with Mega TV on Tuesday evening. The new leader, elected last month after a period of deep internal divisions, emphasized his aim to restore SYRIZA as the main opposition party – a status it lost to the PASOK socialists following a wave of defections by its lawmakers.

“All who feel SYRIZA is their party must return,” he urged.

Famellos described the brief presidency of Stefanos Kasselakis – who recently founded a splinter party after being ousted from SYRIZA – as a “negative interlude.” He attributed Kasselakis’ election to flaws in SYRIZA’s democratic processes, noting that public demand for strong leadership capable of challenging the New Democracy government ironically produced the opposite outcome.

“It’s crucial to assess this past year’s negative interlude and implement necessary changes. We need democratic functioning and a collective ethos, returning to the spirit of ‘we,’ as I proposed during the campaign,” Famellos said.

Addressing questions about Pavlos Polakis, the MP and former minister he defeated in last month’s leadership race, Famellos confirmed that Polakis will play a key role in the party’s new structure.

“SYRIZA will be a cohesive party with a unified voice. There are no voters of Polakis or Famellos,” he said, dismissing speculation about the possibility of dual leadership within SYRIZA.

Regarding former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who stepped down as party leader following SYRIZA’s crushing defeat in the 2023 elections, Famellos described him as a “political asset.”

“His contribution has been significant, both during the government in which I had the honor to serve and in the achievements we delivered up to 2019. He continues to play a vital role,” Famellos said, pointing to Tsipras’ ongoing work as a SYRIZA MP, his position as president of the Council of Europe’s Sub-Committee on the Western Balkans, and the initiatives of the Alexis Tsipras Institute.

Kathimerini