Popi Tsapanidou

Former SYRIZA spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou was sworn in as state deputy of the main opposition party at the beginning of Friday's session of the Plenary of the Parliament.

Trench warfare lasted until the early hours of today in SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, as the six-hour meeting of the Parliamentary Group was not enough to defuse internal tensions but instead deepened the rift between the party leader,

Stefanos Kasselakis has appointed Nikos Pappas as the head of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, aiming to influence the internal dynamics of the party’s Central Committee. This move comes as Pavlos Polakis has announced his intention to table a motion of no-confidence, potentially triggering a process for electing a new party leader.

Former SYRIZA spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that she will take the seat of Othon Iliopoulos following his resignation as a member of parliament in early August.

Next Wednesday, August 28th, with the resumption of the Parliament‘s plenary session, the resignation of Mr. Othon Iliopoulos from his parliamentary position will be officially announced.

The “Kasselistas” are escalating their internal power play, pressuring the five alternates on the SYRIZA State List. So far, the first alternate, Popi Tsapanidou, along with the other four candidates who could claim Iliopoulos’ seat, have remained silent.

A recent resignation and the next five successors are shaping the internal dynamics within SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, following the decision of Harvard Professor and head of the party’s Statewide ballot, Othon Iliopoulos, to forgo his parliamentary seat.

Political interest is focused on the internal developments within the SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, as the resignation of Othon Iliopoulos from his position as a member of the main opposition’s parliamentary list, though anticipated for months, has nonetheless shaken the August calm among party officials and members.

SYRIZA lawmaker Othon Iliopoulos on Thursday refuted rumors that he was planning to give up his seat in Parliament due to his professional obligations.

Popi Tsapanidou resigned as the press spokesperson for SYRIZA on Thursday. 

The former journalist, who assumed the position in late December replacing Nasos Iliopoulos, was unsuccessful in securing a parliamentary seat during the elections on June 25.