Fierce attack by Pavlos Polakis on Sokratis Famellos, with the outspoken Sfakian making clear his leadership ambitions regarding SYRIZA.
Pavlos Polakis spoke of “utter absurdity” and “a display of political subservience,” directing his criticism personally at Socrates Famellos. The catalyst for the statements by the independent MP from Chania and former minister, Pavlos Polakis, was the Central Committee’s decision to support Alexis Tsipras’s initiative.
Mr. Polakis, meanwhile, announced initiatives to immediately convene the party bodies while speaking on Athens 9.84. He also announced that they will invite Alexis Tsipras to clarify the situation himself.
“We are experiencing utter absurdity. We have a Central Committee decision—unprecedented in the annals of political history, not only since the restoration of democracy, but since the beginning of the century—as, following a proposal by SYRIZA President Socrates Famellos, the Central Committee has adopted the following resolution: “We stand behind this initiative by Alexis Tsipras and support it… In other words, you have a party telling you, ‘I support another party.’ It’s the height of absurdity.”
At the same time, the MP from Chania highlighted the contradictions arising from the other side’s stance, noting: “At the very same time and following this decision, there have been repeated leaks from the Hellenic Police (ELAS), which claims that we do not speak with political parties, we only speak with individuals who must have resigned from their positions. This paradox we are experiencing must be resolved. We cannot continue like this. A historic party cannot be dissolved simply because someone decided so.”
Criticism of officials who refuse to resign: “Some officials have resigned and must be replaced. However, some have not resigned from the Central Committee or as members of parliament. That is dishonorable. It is their right to choose another political party, but you resign and join that party. You can’t support one party and be an official of another”.
The ultimatum and the explanations: “We have said that Famellos must reach an agreement—whether or not there is one—with Alexis Tsipras and his party. If there isn’t one, we’ll have to see what we’ll do. This situation can only be explained in two ways: Either there is an agreement between Mr. Tsipras’s party and the leadership group around Mr. Famellos, or this is a terrible display of political subservience in an attempt to beg for mercy and be acceptedthe day after tomorrow on the ballots. For this reason, we say that very soon—and the ultimatum is coming to an end—he must reveal whether the agreement exists or not. And of course, take note: coalition agreements are made with specific terms. They are not made in general or vague terms.”
Request to convene the Central Committee and the message to Alexis Tsipras: “We are taking the initiative together with some comrades and are submitting a request for a new convening of the Central Committee. We will also soon send a message to Alexis Tsipras to seek a clear stance on certain issues. This situation is murky and chaotic and must be resolved.”
When asked whether he believes Mr. Famellos will run again as a SYRIZA candidate in the next elections, Pavlos Polakis expressed strong doubt: “The way I see it, no. Since the logic is that SYRIZA shouldn’t run.” As for Mr. Famellos remaining as president, he noted: “The question of why he remains SYRIZA’s president will be resolved through our internal procedures.”
Referring to the future, he clarified: “I will strive to ensure that SYRIZA has a future with broader alliances and, hopefully, through the creation of a joint ticket for the entire democratic, progressive left-wing bloc.”
