Syriza grapples with leadership vacuum after Famelos resignation

Socrates Famelos stepped down as president of the Syriza‑Progressive Alliance, triggering a power struggle within the party. The resignation prompted calls for an extraordinary Central Committee meeting to elect a new leader.

Three senior figures – Pa­vlos Polákis, Níkos Papápas and Réna Dourou – pressed for the meeting to proceed, arguing that the party’s statutes require it. Their faction faces off against the party’s interim secretary‑general Anastasia Sapouná, who initially cancelled the session, and against the minority bloc that controls the vote.

The dispute has led to a chaotic series of appointments and statements: the Ethics Committee chair Fotís Kouvélis affirmed the need for a quorum; parliamentary representative Theóphilos Xanthópoulos was named interim president to organise the leadership election; and Polákis announced his own candidacy while others called for collective leadership.

Amid accusations of internal sabotage and tense negotiations, the Central Committee finally convened with sufficient attendance, declaring the previous meeting void, setting a roadmap for upcoming elections and confirming Polákis as a candidate for the party’s parliamentary group presidency.