Kasselakis Sparks New Controversy in SYRIZA with Video: Why He Didn’t Announce His Candidacy and Called for Membership Registration for Voting

Kasselakis’s move has multiple interpretations regarding the true meaning of today’s statement, in which he publicly addressed SYRIZA’s internal matters for the first time after being ousted from the presidency. Although his public statement was anticipated by close associates for days as a declaration of “his candidacy for the leadership of SYRIZA PS,” the short video that Stefanos Kasselakis posted on social media left the top party officials no wiser than before.

Σε ένα video 232 δευτερολέπτων δεν χώρεσε η φράση «θα είμαι υποψήφιος για Πρόεδρος του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ Προοδευτική Συμμαχία». Πως γίνεται να «είσαι εδώ» και να κρύβεσαι;

— Costas Zachariadis (@CZachariadis) October 3, 2024

While Kasselakis’s visual statement contained insinuations against former Prime Minister and party President Alexis Tsipras, as well as against PASOK – Movement for Change, critical information regarding Kasselakis’s stance in the upcoming leadership race within SYRIZA was noticeably absent.

By “breaking” the informal political traditions that require presidential candidates to Kasselakis Sparks New Controversy in SYRIZA with Video: Why He Didn’t Announce His Candidacy and Called for Membership Registration for Votingdeclare their “presence” in internal elections, Stefanos Kasselakis did not openly mention that he would seek the leadership of SYRIZA, limiting himself to stating that “I am here.”

Η εικονα ενάντια στην έλλειψη περιεχομένου.
Η τοξικότητα, η αχαλίνωτη εγωπάθειά, το ψέμα
Ο παθολογικός ναρκισσιστής #Κασσελακης που δεν έχει μάθει να χτίζει συμμαχίες αλλά να επιβάλει την άποψή του,«χτυπησε» μ ένα βίντεο υμνο στον Τραμπισμο
Τόσος είναι
pic.twitter.com/ws1DRK0zER

— Marka2 (@Marka2free) October 3, 2024

Moreover, his only reference to the roadmap for SYRIZA’s internal elections was the first milestone, which is the membership registration deadline until October 11, so that new members can participate in the upcoming delegate elections.

However, Mr. Kasselakis did not present himself as:

• either a candidate for president,
• or a former president indirectly accepting the political outcome of his removal due to the motion of no confidence,
• nor did he indicate whether he recognized the established internal process, starting with the Congress on November 1-3, thus triggering various and “war-like” associations regarding how he would act in the upcoming period following his ousting, especially while members of his immediate circle, such as Theodora Tzakri, confirm that the issue of the motion will be raised before the Congress assembly.

Given these circumstances, in a post on Platform X, Kostas Zachariadis noted that “in a video of 232 seconds, the phrase ‘I will be a candidate for President of SYRIZA Progressive Alliance’ did not fit. How is it possible to ‘be here’ and hide?”

It should be noted that in the afternoon, a meeting of the Political Secretariat of SYRIZA is ongoing, where Mr. Zachariadis emphasized that “if Kasselakis means in the video that SYRIZA will become part of the collusion plans, this cannot be tolerated. Also, what is Kasselakis from today based on this video? A candidate for president? A party member? A former president? In what capacity is he speaking?”

On the other hand, Stefanos Kasselakis’s supporter, Theodora Tzakri, left the meeting before its conclusion.

The “battle” was also marked by anonymous accounts (see trolls) like that of Marka2!!, which referred to the video as a “hymn to Trumpism.”

“The image against the lack of content. Toxicity, rampant egotism, lies. The pathological narcissist #Kasselakis who has not learned to build alliances but to impose his opinion, ‘struck’ with a video hymn to Trumpism. Such is he.”

At the same time, officials aligned with the “87” are calling for “participation in the Congress” after watching Mr. Kasselakis’s statement video, commenting that “everything else is speculation and interpretations,” regarding whether it indicates a candidacy declaration.

“At what point in the video did he announce his candidacy?” several officials from the “87” group questioned in the first minutes of the video’s release, while there were also second readings concerning the intended objectives.

For example, officials did not overlook the possibility that Mr. Kasselakis could be excluded from the process or may ultimately prefer not to be a candidate with this specific process, which requires the submission of his financial disclosure statement, opting instead for “ambiguous statements,” as they put it.

Stefanos Kasselakis’s camp explained that the video was shot in a day, and he chose to do it this way because it precisely represents him. The interaction with the public, the mingling with people of all ages, as they emphasized. This is a “Stefanos Kasselakis” video, and he insisted that this is how his candidacy should be presented. It is different because he is different, and it is not just another candidacy for the presidency of SYRIZA, they concluded, with the continuation expected at the upcoming Congress.

The Kasselakis Video

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1907373503064022

In the video, Mr. Kasselakis attempted to reintroduce himself to the party audience and the public, saying, “I am Stefanos. Just Stefanos. We were born human, not titles,” thus quickly surpassing the obstacle of his ousting from the presidency, before subsequently asking the members and friends of SYRIZA PS to support his candidacy.

“Let’s create a SYRIZA that does not drive us away but accommodates us all,” he further emphasizes in his message, adding pointed remarks about the past of Koumoundourou, stating, “Our SYRIZA will not beg to become a component of collusion.”

“I am Stefanos. Black. We were born people, not offices.
I apologize.
From you for letting us down.
From the young people who brought us to the top party in the European elections.
From the families of the old campaigners who shared a bite of bread, not a handful of offices.
From the 150,000 citizens who lined up in the queues just a year ago.
See. Now you know.
Nothing more.
Look to tomorrow.
We are trying to build a SYRIZA that doesn’t drive us out, but fits us all.
A new unity at the grassroots, in society, in real life.
Our SYRIZA will give all the power to our members and friends.
Our SYRIZA will not beg to become a component of the complex.
Our SYRIZA will be autonomous and self-reliant.
Today, the voice of the many.
Tomorrow, the government of progress.
End of the devaluation of human life by the Mitsotakis government.
End of life by the piece.
Take back our dignity.
We are building a country that provides social protection, security, well-paid jobs, and gives equal opportunities to all to pursue their dreams.
Government is stepping down and you know it.
In its place:
Or a supposedly centre-left construction will come in the service of the interlocking.
Or there will come our Syriza, a renewed, indestructible and incorruptible party of the Modern Left.
Syriza is either reborn now or it goes down in history as a memory.
The old has strong roots.
The new may be slow, it may meet obstacles, it may fall, but it rises again. It always reaches the end of the road. It is always born.
.
This path of the new I ask you to walk it together.
Your support is needed as never before.
I have no party apparatus.
I have and have only you.
So don’t wait for election time for President.
Get the OMs and precincts now.
Register immediately for membership in SYRIZA by October 11 so you can vote for delegates.
Make your voice heard.
You can make a loud noise: “I’m here!”
.
“I’m here,” so that no nomination is excluded.
“I’m here,” so that no voter is excluded from the ballot box.
Tomorrow passes through your hands today.
Personally, I don’t feel betrayed, but more determined than ever to never betray you.
I am here because you are here.
And we are here for our Syriza.
For our country, for our lives, for our future.

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