Stefanos Kasselakis announces new party in Greece after leaving Syriza

After many turbulent months, which led the leader of the left wing SYRIZA party to step down after being voted out by its central committee, Stefanos Kasselakis has announced the launch of a new one.

The party is so new it hasn’t yet been given a name, but Kasselakis said it is “the continuation of the democratic SYRIZA party, not the one that is now blocking people from taking part in the processes of the party.”

Kasselakis wasn’t allowed to enter the meeting hall in Athens on Friday where SYRIZA’s congress was being held, as he is no longer a member. Tension then escalated, with Kasselakis organising a meeting of his supporters for Saturday afternoon.

At the meeting at his office he announced the birth of the not-yet-named party:

“Today a movement is being created, a movement of democracy and free citizens. I will talk about the name in a few minutes. Yesterday we had a dilemma. The dilemma was do we legitimise the process and by our silence make it right or do we speak out? Because indeed silence is not guilt, it is complicity.”

“You will decide what to call this movement. You will be the owners and its president will be your servant,” he added.

Following Kasselakis’ announcement, some of SYRIZA’s MPs said they would also leave the party and become independents.

It means the centre-left Pasok party will now become Greece’s biggest opposition party.