Hundreds gather outside SYRIZA congress venue amid rising tensions

A few hundred people gathered outside the Gazi venue in central Athens on Friday ahead of the SYRIZA party congress, set to begin at 6.30 p.m., amid tensions over the congress's delegate composition.

Former SYRIZA president Stefanos Kasselakis, who was ousted by the party's central committee in September, has accused rivals within the party of manipulating internal mechanisms to block his return to leadership.

Friday's congress could shape the future of the deeply divided opposition, with Kasselakis's supporters claiming that some delegates have been excluded from the congress. Reports suggest he may form a new party, stating he would not remain in "an undemocratic organization."

Earlier, Kasselakis urged elected delegates not notified by the party to join the gathering and stay calm. "Democracy will peacefully say #IAmHere," he wrote in a social media post. "I...