Kasselakis: I would run as candidate leader in a joint SYRIZA-PASOK party
SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis photo ANA-MPA
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
If SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance and PASOK-KINAL join forces into a single entity, he wants to be a candidate for its leadership, SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis said in an interview on Monday.
Speaking to ANT1, Kasselakis said, “If society wants this to be the new governing entity of the country, then I will run for office, because I do not believe in summit agreements but in popular legitimacy. This was the fuel so I could persevere a short while ago in internal party strife.” Asked if he would run for office potentially against former party leader Alexis Tsipras, he said, “I have said I will never betray the people who have supported me in difficult times; these people demand I continue and we have a great progressive party.”
Referring to his willingness to collaborate with Plefsi Zois leader Zoi Konstantopoulou, who had once been a member of SYRIZA under Tsipras, Kasselakis responded the she “left for ideological reasons; furthermore, she has worked hard for the issue of Tempi and has worked on the issue of German reparations,” referring to the deadly train collision and the World War II reparations by Germany, respectively.
Nea Aristera, which split off SYRIZA, “does not appeal to society, while Ms Konstantopoulou won a seat in Parliament and managed to even elect a European Parliament deputy,” Kasselakis said, referring to the results of the June 9 European elections.
As to the harsh criticism against PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, whom the main opposition leader criticized as allowing the government to ‘blackmail’ him, Kasselakis justified it, saying, “I was referring to his spiritless reaction. I do not know how one feels when they are in such a situation. Maybe it was an over-the-top statement. But in any case, I stand by the victim, not the perpetrator. In this case, the perpetrator is the Maximos Mansion, the prime minister and his nephew.”
SYRIZA and PASOK both “end up with a leader with popular legitimacy. There is also PASOK’s debt. But I respect what Nikos Androulakis said, that he had minimal funding during the European elections,” Kasselakis underlined.
Among other things, the main opposition leader acknowledged that the lifestyle part of his pre-electoral appearances turned people off. “They did not help people, but on the other hand, we conveyed messages against [Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis’ propaganda.”
Ruling New Democracy’s 28% victory at European elections “is not accidental,” the SYRIZA leader said. “The message is that the Greek people are giving me and SYRIZA the opportunity to serve as an alternative governing pole. What I understand is that people are telling us, Get serious, set up something good, fresh, with meritocracy, to rule Greece.”
source ANA-MPA
Ακολουθήστε τη HELLAS JOURNAL στη NEWS GOOGLEPM Mitsotakis: EPP supporting von der Leyen for second term as European Commission president