SYRIZA leader Kasselakis falls in no-confidence motion

SYRIZA's central committee approved a motion of no confidence in its leader Stefanos Kasselakis Sunday, deepening the turmoil that has plagued the main opposition party since a resounding electoral defeat last year.

The 286 members that took part in the vote - another eight abstained - voted 163-120 for the motion, with another three casting blank or invalid votes. This easily cleared the threshold of 148 votes, a majority of all central committee members and not just of those who voted, required for the motion to pass.

A first taste of Monday's developments was seen Saturday, when Kasselakis and his supporters lost a vote on whether the vote would be open, as they wanted, or secret. In the end, 210 members voted in three ballot boxes and 76 who did not attend voted by phone, thus doing so openly.

As a sign of the ill will prevailing at the meeting, Kasselakis'...