Damanaki, Katseli, Kotzias and Dragasakis in SYRIZA’s possible candidates for the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic

Behind-the-scenes ferment, meaningful appearances, and surprise set the scene for the Syriza Progressive Alliance’s stance towards the selection of the right person for the Presidency of the Republic, which is proving to be a political milestone if not a catalyst for broader developments.

In this light, Koumoundourou did not put its cards on the table when the leader of the New Left, Alexis Charitsis, was the first to open the debate by proposing the President of the Hellenic Republic, Christos Ramos, for the Presidency of the Republic. On the contrary, he kept a wait-and-see attitude, while prominent members of the party, such as former Minister Nikos Pappas, preferred the proposal of a person from the Left for the highest state office, arguing that the need for a broader consensus is no longer needed due to the election of the new President with only 151 votes.

At the same time, Koumoundourou has chosen silence in the logic of strengthening its role in the progressive hemisphere, to appear as a hastener of any consensus focusing on the candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic and not as a tailback of developments. In this context, party sources were quick to state yesterday that “the institutional stance chosen by SYRIZA P.S. from the very first moment in the debate on the election of the President of the Republic, protects both the persons and the institution”. “In any case, with proper handling, there can be common ground among the progressive forces on this emblematic political issue,” the same sources concluded, against the backdrop of Christos Rammou’s eventual withdrawal from the presidential race.

On the flip side, SYRIZA PS cadres have reportedly worked out at least four names as their potential proposals for the presidency, which also meet the criteria set by the party’s president, Socrates Famellos in his recent statements, saying that the new President of the Republic should reflect the principles of democracy and respect for institutions.

With this in mind, former Commissioner and President of the Coalition, Maria Damanaki, is one of the names reportedly on Koumoundourou’s table for the Presidency of the Republic. Her long political career, which has its origins in the Polytechnic uprising, includes not only her European experience but also a long-standing presence as a member of parliament for both Synaspismos and PASOK, which could put pressure on Harilaou Trikoupis to vote for her. Her latest presence at the speech of former Prime Minister and President of SYRIZA PS, Alexis Tsipras, at the conference organized by VIMA and the Delphi Economic Forum ,even revived the relevant scenarios, with the Jerusalem residents of Koumoundourou increasingly discussing her name loudly.

An equally strong, female candidate within SYRIZA PS is considered to be that of academic and former minister, Lucas Katseli, who was a speaker at the latest event of Alexis Tsipras’ Institute in Piraeus. A powerful minister in the PASOK government under George Papandreou, but also the creator of the “Katseli Law” for the protection of first homes, she is held in high esteem within SYRIZA PS, while her historical relationship with PASOK makes her a person of almost universal – progressive – acceptance. It is no coincidence, moreover, that Luca Katseli has already been proposed for President of the Republic by the MEP and SYRIZA PC Presidential candidate, Nikolas Farantouris, saying that “what I am asking for is a person of broad acceptance, a progressive person to respect the parliamentary ethos. A person who could also be an iconic personality and a fighting politician could be Luca Katseli.”

A person widely accepted in the progressive hemisphere is also considered the “architect” of the Prespes Agreement and former Foreign Minister of the SYRIZA government, Nikos Kotzias. The head of “Pratto” did not change “camp” even when he clashed with former Minister Panos Kamenos, he is consistently present in debates of the broader area, and maintains steadfast channels of communication with the “87” of the “Tsipras Guard”, while he harshly criticized former party President Stefanos Kasselakis. At the same time, he was a close interlocutor and collaborator of former Prime Minister and President of PASOK, George Papandreou, with the latter stating that “he has a good mind”. In addition, Mr. Kotzias is an advocate of cooperation between progressive forces, which he promotes in all his public statements, with the Ideas Movement “Pratto” recently stating in a statement that “a forum for democratic dialogue is urgently needed”, with the aim “to organize debates on the hot issues of society, such as, for example, national issues, precision and energy, the economy and the state, justice, democracy and the constitution, health and education, ecology and the protection of the environment”.

And if the above personalities also have a “Pasokogenesque” bias in their overall public presence, one person who would cause great embarrassment to more left-leaning forces such as the New Left is the former Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Yannis Dragasakis. The historic figure of the Greek Left left left SYRIZA in December 2023, causing quite a stir. In fact, in his resignation letter, Mr. Dragasakis said with meaning that “history, however, shows that the rallying and recomposition of the Left have greater potential to succeed if it becomes a matter of society, the youth, the non-attached world of the Left and ecology, through collective initiatives and movements, which must exist everywhere, in every appropriate form”, to conclude “Goodbye, then, to the known places, for the known reasons”.

In any case, all four of these personalities from the wider political sphere have the political and social clout to attract the votes of the other progressive parties, while the pressure is expected to be even more intense for the New Left MPs, as some of them have served as ministers in the same cabinet as Nikos Kotzias and Yannis Dragasakis or have worked closely with Louka Katseli during the days of the SYRIZA government.

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