2022 Syriza leadership election explained

Election Date:15 May 2022
Flag Image:SYRIZA logo 2020.svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Next Year:2023
Next Election:2023 Syriza leadership election
Before Election:Alexis Tsipras
After Election:Alexis Tsipras
Turnout:152.193
President
1Blank:Elected
Colour1:CB5256
Candidate1:Alexis Tsipras
Popular Vote1:150.853
Percentage1:100%
1Data1:Unopposed

Internal party elections took place within SYRIZA-PS on 15 May 2022, in which the president and the members of the Central Committee were directly elected by the members of the party.

Background

On 19 January 2022, Alexis Tsipras, then president of SYRIZA - PS proposed at a meeting of the party's political council the election of the president and the central committee directly by its members and not by the congress.[1]

At the beginning of April, before the 3rd party congress, the specifications of the electoral procedure to be voted on at the congress were made public. The election for president would be open to all those who registered as members or friends of the party on the same day, while the election for the central committee would be open only to those members who had registered before 21 March 2022.[2]

On 15 April, during the congress, the Internal opposition group "Umbrella" strongly protested against Tsipras' proposal, but it was approved by 70% of the votes.[3]

Campaign

The election process was presented by SYRIZA as a response to the government's response to deal with the issue of inflation, using the slogan "We're sending them back the bill!".[4]

Results

Tsipras was re-elected with 100% of the valid votes, but the remarkable thing, according to him, was the massive participation of 140,000 new members.[5]

Criticism

New Democracy criticized the absence of rival candidates against Alexis Tsipras, as well as the right to vote for people over 15 years old.[6]

Following developments

After the legislative elections of May 2023, where SYRIZA reached its lowest percentage since the legislative elections of May 2012, Alexis Tsipras was pressured to resign from the party leadership, but remained, citing the upcoming June elections.[7]

However, after the renewed defeat at the June elections, and the further drop in vote percentages, he stated on election night that he would put himself up to the judgment of the party members.[8] Although, just four days later, he announced that he would resign from the party leadership, stating that the party requires “deep renewal and refoundation”.[9]

After Tsipras' resignation, Sokratis Famellos, following a vote of the Parliamentary Group of SYRIZA - PS, was unanimously elected president of the PG, until the election of a new party president.[10]

Following the announcement of Alexis Tsipras that he will not run for president of SYRIZA - Progressive Alliance, the following announced their candidacy in chronological order: Effie Achtsioglou [11] on 12 July, Euclid Tsakalotos[12] on 14 July, Stefanos Tzoumakas[13] and Nikos Pappas[14] on 15 July, and Stefanos Kasselakis[15] on 29 August.

The elections were initially set for 10 and 17 September,[16] but were moved a week later respectively due to the Storm Daniel.[17] In the elections, Kasselakis and Achtsioglou made it to the second round,[18] and in the end Kasselakis was elected in the second round.[19]

References

  1. Web site: 2022-01-19 . Τσίπρας – Προτείνει ο πρόεδρος και η ΚΕ του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ να εκλέγεται από τα μέλη και όχι από το συνέδριο . 2023-08-02 . in.gr.
  2. Web site: 2022-04-07 . ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: 15 Μαΐου οι εσωκομματικές εκλογές – Πώς θα γίνει η διαδικασία . 2023-08-02 . tovima.gr.
  3. Web site: 2022-04-15 . 3ο Συνέδριο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Εκνευρισμός για την παρέμβαση Τσακαλώτου – Πέρασε η πρόταση Τσίπρα . 2023-08-02 . tovima.gr.
  4. Web site: 2022-05-09 . ΣΥΡΙΖΑ-ΠΣ: Πρόβες και τάμπλετ για τις κάλπες της 15ης Μαΐου - Πώς θα γίνει η ψηφοφορία για τον Πρόεδρο του κόμματος . 2023-08-02 . protothema.gr.
  5. Web site: 2022-05-15 . Τσίπρας για εκλογές ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ των 172.000 μελών θα είναι πρώτο κόμμα . 2023-08-02 . pagenews.gr.
  6. Web site: 2022-05-16 . ΝΔ για εκλογές ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: "Ο κ. Τσίπρας νίκησε τον κ. Τσίπρα" . 2023-08-02 . kathimerini.gr.
  7. Web site: 2023-05-22 . Αλέξης Τσίπρας: Είμαι εδώ, δεν εγκαταλείπω τη μάχη . 2023-08-02 . LiFO.
  8. Web site: 2023-06-25 . Greece’s conservatives win election majority to secure second term . 2023-07-06 . POLITICO . en.
  9. Web site: 2023-06-29 . Greek opposition leader Tsipras resigns as Syriza chief after election defeat . 2023-07-06 . POLITICO . en.
  10. Web site: 2023-07-03 . Famellos unanimously president of SYRIZA parliamentary group . 2023-07-06 . Hellasjournal.com . en-US.
  11. Web site: Έφη Αχτσιόγλου: Θέλουμε έναν ΣΥΡΙΖΑ αποτελεσματικό, σύγχρονο, μεθοδικό – Ολόκληρη η δήλωσή της. 2023-07-12. Newsbeast. el. 2023-08-29.
  12. Web site: Ανακοίνωσε την υποψηφιότητά του ο Ευκλείδης Τσακαλώτος: "Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ πρέπει να παραμείνει Αριστερά". 2023-07-14. Newsbeast. el. 2023-08-29.
  13. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Απών από την Κεντρική Επιτροπή ο Αλέξης Τσίπρας – Υποψήφιος για πρόεδρος ο Στέφανος Τζουμάκας. 2023-07-15. Newsbeast. el. 2023-08-29.
  14. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Κατέθεσε την υποψηφιότητά του ο Νίκος Παππάς – Αλλαγή σχεδίων από τον Παύλο Πολάκη. 2023-07-15. Newsbeast. el. 2023-08-29.
  15. Web site: Ο Στέφανος Κασσελάκης υποψήφιος και επίσημα για την προεδρία του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ – "Η υποψηφιότητά μου είναι ριζοσπαστική. Όπως και η ζωή μου". 2023-08-29. Newsbeast. el. 2023-08-29.
  16. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Εκλογή προέδρου στις 10 και 16 Σεπτεμβρίου, αποφάσισε η Κεντρική Επιτροπή. 2023-07-16. LiFO. el. 2023-07-16.
  17. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Αναβλήθηκαν οι εκλογές για την ανάδειξη προέδρου. 2023-09-07. www.news247.gr. el. 2023-09-08.
  18. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Τα τελικά αποτελέσματα των εκλογών για την ανάδειξη προέδρου . Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ . 2023-09-18 . el . 2023-09-18.
  19. Web site: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, τελικό αποτέλεσμα β' γύρου:Κασσελάκης 55,98%, Αχτσιόγλου 44,02%-Στις 11,96 μονάδες η διαφορά. iefimerida.gr . 2023-09-29 . el . 2023-09-29.