The next few days will show whether the radical Left party will manage to hold its own or whether it will finally hand over the baton to its newborn counterpart.
The spectre of a rational disintegration looms over the broader left-wing faction.
The latest developments, starring Alexis Tsipras, and the unanswered call to his side by Socrates Famello, bring to light a backdrop of intense processes, mutual suspicion and a battle fought in terms of political survival.
At the heart of this vortex is the relationship between SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras’ new political venture, ELAS, which is already being treated by many, not unfairly, as a Syriza No. 2, ready to swallow the origiinal.
The recent decision by the Central Committee of SYRIZA to express its support for the former president’s new party opened the Aeolian can of worms, triggering a chain reaction and deep cracks.
For a large part of the party, this move was nothing less than an act of political suicide, a public confession of weakness and an informal handover of the keys.
The criticism now being openly levelled at Socrates Famello is severe, with many photographing him as the man leading the party into a hermaphroditic state, with no clear identity and no autonomous perspective.
Paul Polakis, in his usual style, issued a tough ten-day ultimatum to the party leadership, capturing the anger and embarrassment of the grassroots.
The Chania MP openly argued that behind the official announcements lies a secret deal, which no one has the courage to admit publicly.
Otherwise, he said, the Central Committee’s decision is nothing more than a show of servility to the former leader.
His argument is simple but politically vertical; there is no historical precedent for a party president to declare that he supports another, rival formation, at the same time that ELAS officials, such as Koufonikolakou, are cutting out any scenario of cooperation.
Polakis’ ultimatum hopelessly narrows the scope for Socrates Famellos.
If in the next few days he does not bring a clear, tangible agreement or the framework for a serious negotiation with the ELAS to the table, developments are expected to be rapid.
The pressure to convene the Political Secretariat and the Central Committee in order to reassess the facts is already suffocating.
The stakes are not just the next day, but the very survival of SYRIZA as an autonomous political organization in the next elections. The view that the party should go to the ballot box with a united ticket of all the forces that are willing and able is gaining ground, with many questioning whether S. Famellos, because of his different political approach, can lead such an effort.
The question hanging over Koumoundourou is a tough one: “Because Tsipras has resigned, should the universe surrender and submit to his choices?”
In this climate of widespread doubt, the intervention of Rena Dourou has come to spark new debates.
Adding a special political weight to the party, Rena Dourou set the party “on fire”, noting meaningfully that the decision of the Central Committee, instead of supporting Alexis Tsipras, actually undermines him.
“The decision of the Central Committee does not support, but undermines Alexis Tsipras and his new initiative. If there are people who believe that Tsipras wants this decision, then they probably don’t “read” his personality and what he has declared in the last period of time well,” Rena Dourou said meaningfully.
At the same time, in the “left-wing village” No. 2, the ELAS, the machines are working at full speed. Alexis Tsipras’ new party is taking advantage of the momentum and organizing an extensive program of summer excursions and events across the country. The aim is to polarise the left-wing and to network directly with citizens in order to establish the ELAS in the consciousness of the left-wing.
Alexis Tsipras himself is expected to be present at these events, starting from Kokkinia. The choice of locations is not at all accidental.
The reality is that SYRIZA is facing its own political gravediggers, who may not come from its traditional opponents, but from within its own bowels.
The invitation to the “democratic forces” that Koumoundourou is issuing is like a voice crying in the wilderness if A. Tsipras himself refuses to debate on this ground.
If the former president believes that he holds the privilege of the only truth and continues to turn his back, which is very likely, this move may backfire on him, but for SYRIZA the damage will already be irreversible.
The clock is counting down and the coming days will show whether the party of the radical left will manage to hold its ground or whether it will finally hand over the baton to its newborn counterpart.
