Panagiotis Lafazanis

Alexis Tsipras "is and will remain a huge political asset for the country and for the left worldwide," one potential contender for the leadership position in SYRIZA has said.

Efi Achtsioglou made the comments on social media a day after Tsipras resigned as leader of the main opposition party.

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday turned down a mandate to form a coalition government, saying he was preparing for a second election in June after what he called a "painful" electoral defeat for his SYRIZA party.

Leftist SYRIZA completed a two-day session of it political secretariat on Wednesday with leader and former prime minister Alexis Tsipras seeking to draw a line under speculation about a possible challenge for leadership of the party.

By Haris Karanikas

From the very start of his political career PM Alexis Tsipras was constantly gaining ground.

Until SYRIZA's defeat on 26 May, he always scored victories, small or large.

As a very young candidate in the Athens mayoral race on the "Open Athens" ticket, he garnered over ten percent of the vote, more than double what his party was polling in national elections.

SYRIZA's poor polling numbers and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' decision to make a strong shift to the centre-left is causing fissures along with backstabbing between comrades who are anxious about the outcome of the 26 May European Parliament election and even more about the general election, as a large number of current MPs will almost certainly lose their seats.

The leader of the far-left Popular Unity party Panayiotis Lafazanis said on Wednesday he refused to provide answers to investigators after he was summoned to Attica Police Headquarters over his alleged illegal possession and use of a gun during protests against foreclosures on the properties of overindebted Greeks.

The leader of the far-left Popular Unity party Panagiotis Lafazanis has been summoned by Attica police authorities to answer charges of illegal gun use and possession.

The summons is part of a wider investigation ordered by an Athens prosecutor into protests against foreclosures on the properties of overindebted Greeks.

In a move seen as a precursor to an imminent cabinet reshuffle and an effort by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to revamp the ruling leftist party, influential Interior Minister Panos Skourletis was appointed on Monday as SYRIZA's new central committee general secretary. 

Leftist SYRIZA's central committee is to convene on Monday amid spiraling speculation about a government reshuffle aimed at giving the tired administration a lift.