The (il)legitimacy of Stefanos Kasselakis

Stefanos Kasselakis was elected SYRIZA's leader by a comfortable majority nearly a year ago, on September 24. He dealt deftly with an attempt to overthrow him just five months later at the party's congress. His candidacy for the post was not forced on the party by some shadowy interests - on the contrary, it suited several cadres (Pavlos Polakis, notably) who sensed an opportunity to hitch their failing political fates to the chariot of the mysterious young hopeful. Neither they, nor Kasselakis himself, expected him to win the leadership contest.

Today, his former sponsors are in the lead of the campaign to defenestrate him. Why is there so much questioning of a leader who was elected by the party base and had his mandate renewed at the party congress? What gives the doubters the right to ignore the will of voters and delegates? Most likely, the answer lies in the fact that...