SYRIZA president comes under fire at tumultuous political secretariat meeting

The festering tension within main opposition SYRIZA was on display again on Thursday after the leadership of Stefanos Kasselakis was openly challenged in the post-summer meeting of the party's political secretariat.

Recently ousted party MP Pavlos Polakis called for a change in leadership while eight leading SYRIZA members representing the group of 87 expressed their challenge by walking out of the meeting.

Polakis, a former mentor of Kasselakis, told members that "the leadership cannot move forward like this."

"It cannot provide a political solution. Change is needed, and I will contribute to this effort for change," he stated.

Polakis had hinted that he would throw down the gauntlet prior to the meeting with a social media post in response to a citizen who urged him to run as a candidate, saying, "All in good time."

For their part, the eight...