SYRIZA state deputy Iliopoulos gives up seat in Parliament

State deputy Othonas Iliopoulos, an expatriate Greek academic elected on the ticket of main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, on Saturday sent a letter to Parliament President Constantinos Tassoulas announcing his resignation as an MP. In his letter, Iliopoulos said that he was resigning in favour of the other expatriate candidate on SYRIZA's ticket, party leader Stefanos Kasselakis.

"I hope that my act of resignation will not deny my compatriots abroad their ability to be represented, as I am resigning in favour of the other overseas Greek on our ticket, the elected SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis. I consider that my thinking also reflect the will of thousands of SYRIZA voters abroad who wanted their 'voice' in the Greek Parliament to be one of them," Iliopoulos said, adding that he would remain a member of SYRIZA-PA's Central Committee.

Kasselakis praised Iliopoulos in a statement about his resignation, saying that his presence had "adorned not only the state deputy ticket but also the Hellenic Parliament. Alexis Tsipras' choice to put him at the head of the state deputy ticket was a clear message from the former president about the true excellence that he wanted to prevail in SYRIZA."

SYRIZA's leader said the involvement of people such as Iliopoulos in politics was "an honour for political life" and expressed his sincere wish that Iliopoulos' academic duties had permitted him to complete his term, while thanking him for his contribution and the voice that he gave to Greeks abroad.

A SYRIZA-PA announcement said that Iliopoulos had resigned to devote himself fully to his academic work and research in the United States, while thanking him for his work in Parliament.

In response to questions put by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, meanwhile, sources with the office of the Parliament president said that, based on Parliamentary rules, Iliopoulos' seat must go to the runner-up on SYRIZA's state deputy ticket, which in this case was Popi Tsapanidou and not Kasselakis. They noted that Iliopoulos' resignation could not be recalled once submitted.

AMNA