SYRIZA party

This Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the deadliest train disaster that shook Greece. Federations have called for strikes and organized rallies to protest what is perceived as a systematic attempt to obscure the circumstances of the tragedy and cover up responsibilities.

The inner party thriller in the main opposition SYRIZA party concluded on Sunday noon, with the Congress deciding not to go to leadership elections. "We are not heading to elections-the masks have fallen," declared the party leader Stefanos Kasselakis. An unprecedented toxic party congress preceded that, marked by crowd uproar and political back-and forth.

A major crisis that broke out earlier this week within the main opposition SYRIZA party was averted at the last minute with the party congress set to start on Thursday under a fragile and temporary truce among opposing sides.

The main opposition SYRIZA party's parliamentary group meeting on the island of Spetses will be extended by one day Sunday, as some MPs did not get to make their thematic presentations.

Increasingly, Greeks are turning to Bulgaria for affordable goods as rising prices in their home country prompt cross-border shopping. The opposition Syriza party has criticized the Greek government, alleging a failure to implement effective measures against the surging cost of living.

Greece's opposition parties blasted the ruling New Democracy government of not doing enough to curb soaring prices and that the measures announced earlier on Wednesday are inadequate.
 

New Left, the party created out of a split in the main opposition SYRIZA party, will hold an organizing meeting on January 12-13.

The meeting, to be held in Athens, will draw up a founding declaration and prepare a conference, to be held in late February, where the party's governing bodies will presumably be elected.

The new parliamentary group formed by the 11 MPs who recently left the main opposition SYRIZA party announced their name as "New Left" (Nea Aristera) on Monday at an event open to the public in Athens.

European Parliament Vice-President Dimitris Papadimoulis said Sunday he will represent in that assembly the new Parliamentary group created by 11 MPs who defected from the main opposition SYRIZA party.

Stefanos Kasselakis, the leader of Greece's main leftist opposition, on Friday laid a wreath at the memorial on the grounds of the former Military Police Special Interrogation Unit (EAT/ESA) to commemorate the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising. He was joined by a delegation from his SYRIZA party.