“SYRIZA hasn’t closed its historic cycle.” That’s the message coming out of SYRIZA headquarters, as the party tries to leave behind a period of turning inward and put itself back at the center of political confrontation.
It’s essentially a response to former Prime Minister and ELAS president Alexis Tsipras’s statement at the end of last June that SYRIZA had closed its historic cycle. Along the same lines is the argument, made by party officials, that SYRIZA remains politically necessary precisely because, as they put it, “the government is fighting us.”
The Political Blockade on MP Elena Akrita, the Clash With ND
The latest episode centers on parliament and Elena Akrita. SYRIZA’s parliamentary group unanimously chose her for the position of 5th Deputy Speaker of Parliament, following Olga Gerovasili’s departure from the party to become independent.
New Democracy, however, made clear it won’t support her candidacy. Government sources attributed the decision not to Akrita’s party affiliation but to her personal attacks and the stance she has taken toward the government and its officials.
Akrita herself called ND’s refusal a “badge of honor,” while SYRIZA denounced the decision as a political blockade.
A Combative Opposition in Parliament
This isn’t the only front showing that SYRIZA has been doing more substantive opposition work than ELAS lately, despite polling around 2%.
In recent weeks, SYRIZA’s MPs have been trying to ramp up parliamentary pressure, with government officials responding to their interventions and the confrontation frequently landing back in the headlines.
“We’re especially grateful to Mr. Mitsotakis and ND’s MPs, who, through leaks and back channels, acknowledge SYRIZA MPs’ effective opposition work, admitting that in the end this party hasn’t closed its historic cycle,” was SYRIZA HQ’s message yesterday.
Telling examples include Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis’s responses to SYRIZA secretary Nikos Pappas on early debt repayment, or Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous’s responses to Political Planning chief Pavlos Polakis on the state of public healthcare.
The Polling Bet and What Comes Next
At SYRIZA HQ, these developments are read as a sign that SYRIZA remains a political force to be reckoned with. The party’s Central Committee decision in July itself underscores that SYRIZA has historical and governing experience and can once again take on a role in rallying the forces of the Left.
So SYRIZA HQ, with Rena Dourou, is trying to turn the confrontation with the government into proof of political relevance. The question now is whether this activity will show up in the polls, and whether the modest recovery SYRIZA is trying to project can have staying power.
Either way, the picture of recent days looks different from that of a party outside the political frame. SYRIZA is clashing, taking hits, firing back, and provoking government responses — and it will become clear over time whether, and to what extent, its historic cycle has actually closed.
