Democratic Left

It is sometimes ignored that as head of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras does not enjoy an absolute parliamentary majority. His leftist party only controls 144 seats in the 300-seat House, although he does have the backing of nine MPs from the right-wing populist Independent Greeks party (ANEL).

Greece's new center-left grouping, Movement for Change, has unveiled its political council, which is the first element of the new party's structure and its key decision-making body.

Fofi Genimata, the leader of the new center-left party, Movement for Change, said on Wednesday that the members of its political council will be announced on Friday.

Kathimerini understands that the council will be small and will include the main proponents for the new party's creation and the candidates that ran for its leadership.

The head of centrist To Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, is expected to formally announce on Friday his running for the leadership of a new center-left party that will be formed in October.

Thanasis Theocharopoulos, leader of the minor Democratic Left (DIMAR) party, has said he will announce next week if he will run for the leadership of Greece's nascent center-left party.

Up to eight candidates may be vying for the leadership of Greece's new center-left party in elections slated for October, after Mimis Androulakis, an outspoken PASOK euro MP and author, suggested on Friday that he will run for the post.

Enthusiastic rhetoric is a necessity for every new endeavor, though in no way ensures its success. However passionate the words being used, the real problems cannot be wiped away or covered up enough to appear that they're gone.

The constitutional referendum once again turned the spotlight on opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli for the role he played in Turkey's political life. 

Kyriakos Mitsotakis was elected president of main opposition New Democracy in runoff elections on Sunday defeating Vangelis Meimarakis.

Despite all the predictions, Mr. Mitsotakis managed to bring together New Democracy members by showing them that he wants to turn over a new leaf in party’s history and achieved a clear win against Vangelis Meimarakis.

Fotis Kouvelis appeared determined to contribute to a “progressive governance” of Greece and talking to Free Sunday newspaper he didn’t rule out an institutional cooperation’ of the United Movement of European Left with, while he criticized the current leadership of Democratic Left.