Stefanos Kasselakis

Main opposition SYRIZA is entering a new leadership race in the wake of developments triggered by an intervention of its former leader Alexis Tsipras suggesting the incumbent Stefanos Kasselakis must renew his mandate with the party base.

Euclid Tsakalotos, the former finance minister and one of the 11 MPs who bolted from SYRIZA to create the New Left party, said former leader Alexis Tsipras needed to make his own self-criticism.

SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis has challenged his opponents within the party to field a rival candidate for a new leadership contest.

Former SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras intervened in the ongoing party turmoil on Thursday, criticizing the party's direction and urging new leader Stefanos Kasselakis to seek a fresh vote of confidence from party members.

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 leader of Greece's leftist main opposition party will open SYRIZA's 4th congress on Thursday.

Stefanos Kasselakis will address the delegates at 7 p.m.

The congress is held at the Tae Kwon Do Stadium, and will last until February 25.

In response to harsh criticism, SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis challenged those casting doubts about his leadership of the party to clarify their stance.

Addressing a meeting of SYRIZA's Political Secretariat on Tuesday, Kasselakis appeared defiant, saying "if you don't trust me, long live the revival of the will and mandate of the members."

Thousands of farmers from across Greece descended on Athens' Syntagma Squar central square on Tuesday, parking their tractors before parliament in their biggest protest yet over rising costs and livelihoods destroyed by extreme weather.

[Updated 8.45 p.m.]

Thousands of farmers with over 200 tractors from across Greece have assembled before Parliament on Syntagma Square over the impact of rising energy costs, competition from abroad and recent flooding.

SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis appears to be increasingly isolated as criticism of his leadership is not only coming from opponents within the party, but also from those who had until recently backed him.