Marinos Skandamis leaves PASOK to join Tsipras' ELAS party

Marinos Skandamis, head of citizen protection for ELAS, announced his departure from PASOK, citing a prolonged internal “double‑talk” within the party that blocked progressive alliances. He said the decision was personal and made after a phone call and discussion on Monday night, with no prior coordination with former prime minister Alexis Tsipras.

Skandamis praised Tsipras as a more mature and experienced leader on issues affecting Greece’s economy, society and politics. He noted ELAS’s ambition to become the leading opposition force, stating that the party aims to finish first in upcoming elections and could present a candidate. While he expressed openness to standing as a candidate, he emphasized that any such decision would be taken by ELAS’s governing bodies, not by him personally.