New SYRIZA faction to become independent as main opposition disintegrates
A faction led by former Labor Minister Effie Achtsioglou, known as “6+6,” announced on Thursday its intention to break away from SYRIZA, in an anticipated move that followed a meeting of the faction earlier this week, further weakening the main opposition party now under the leadership of newcomer Stefanos Kasselakis.
The 57 members of the faction include nine members of parliament. Lawmakers Alexis Haritsis and Nasos Iliopoulos, leading members of the group, are expected to express their intention to become independent in a letter sent to the president of parliament, Konstantinos Tassoulas.
This will be the second major split within the party in the last few weeks, after the Umbrella faction, led by former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos, departed last week. On Monday, Tsakalotos hinted at the possibility of forming a new parliamentary group separate from SYRIZA, in cooperation with Achtsiglou’s “6+6″.
The nine lawmakers of Achtsiogou’s group, along with Tsakalotos and another MP who left SYRIZA, Peti Perka, complete the minimum number of parliamentarians required to form a new party.
It follows the mass resignation on Wednesday of 90 members of the Human Rights Sector of SYRIZA and the majority of its secretariat.
In a runoff vote in September, Achtsioglou lost to Kasselakis in the bid to succeed Alexis Tsipras as the leader of SYRIZA.
kathimerini
