SYRIZA faces internal split over backing Tsipras' ELAS alliance

The ruling left‑wing party SYRIZA is in a deep internal crisis as its Central Committee votes on President Sokratis Famellos' proposal to support the new Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) founded by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras. The motion, approved by a majority of the party’s Political Secretariat, calls for SYRIZA to cooperate with ELAS ahead of upcoming elections.

Senior party figures Nikos Pappas and Pavlos Polakis have publicly attacked the proposal, describing it as a plan for the party’s self‑dissolution and urging immediate activation of internal organs to prevent collapse. Polakis warned that the real dilemma is whether SYRIZA will exist at all. Other members, including Olga Gerovasili and Kostas Zacharidis, have expressed support for broader progressive cooperation.

The Central Committee meeting on 6 June is seen as a decisive moment that will determine whether SYRIZA pursues an autonomous electoral path or joins the wider ELAS coalition, a decision that could reshape the party’s future and its role in Greek politics.