Tsipras steps down from SYRIZA helm

SYRIZA's crushing defeat in the May 21 and June 25 elections had de facto put the leftist party on the road to change - and the resignation of its leader Alexis Tsipras.

In a televised address on Thursday, Tsipras announced his decision, stating that "the time has come to start a new cycle," while calling for the party's reform.

On the night of the elections last Sunday, Tsipras said that party members will be called upon to judge "us all and set the strategy," adding that he was putting himself at the party members' discretion.

Eventually on Thursday, he initially submitted his resignation before the party's Executive Bureau, and immediately afterward, in an empty room at Zappeion Hall, he made his decision known on camera.

Kathimerini understands that few people were aware of his decisions. In fact, many were taken by surprise.

"The party must...