Greece's SYRIZA party loses three MPs, drops to fourth in parliament

Within 24 hours three SYRIZA parliamentarians – Andreas Panagiotopoulos (Achaia), George Gavrilos (Argolis) and George Psychogios (Corinthia) – submitted letters to the speaker and became independent MPs. Their departures reduced SYRIZA’s parliamentary group to 20 members, slipping the party to fourth place behind the Communist Party of Greece (21 seats).

The defections follow a wave of resignations from the party’s political secretariat and central committee, including the deputy secretary Anastasia Sapounas and five other secretariat members. The internal power struggle has intensified, with figures such as Pa­volos Polakis, Rena Douro and Nikos Pappas positioning themselves for leadership roles as the group prepares to elect a new parliamentary secretary and later a new group president.

The ongoing turmoil is reshaping SYRIZA’s organisational structure ahead of upcoming national elections, while the party seeks to re‑establish a coherent progressive platform and regain parliamentary influence.