Tsakalotos distances himself from Tsipras amid growing speculation of new party
Former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos has publicly distanced himself from ex-prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who resigned from Parliament in October and is widely expected to launch a new, more centrist political party in early 2026. Several senior SYRIZA figures, including the party’s current leader, Sokratis Famellos, have already indicated they would be open to cooperating with the former SYRIZA chief.
“You cannot have a partnership with an enlightened leader who speaks directly to the people without mediation. I don’t understand what ‘unmediated contact’ means,” Tsakalotos said on Friday. “From time to time, a charismatic figure can represent a political platform. But first we must have the platform.”
Tsakalotos served as Greece’s finance minister from 2015 to 2019. He exited SYRIZA in late 2023 after losing the party’s leadership contest and later joined New Left, a splinter group formed by former members.
“It baffles me that SYRIZA says it will march alongside something when we don’t even know what that something is,” he added, signaling clear skepticism toward the emerging political realignment.
