Yiannis Amanatidis Elected New Secretary of SYRIZA Parliamentary Group Amidst Party Turmoil

Yiannis Amanatidis has been elected as the new secretary of the SYRIZA parliamentary group, a move occurring amidst significant internal strife and a wave of defections. The election saw participation from seven lawmakers, while former party leader Sokratis Famellos was absent.

The party is grappling with an atmosphere of introspection, exacerbated by successive departures of key figures and the resignation and independence declarations of several lawmakers. These defections are expected to continue. On Wednesday morning, the parliamentary group's director, Giorgos Bakis, and deputy press spokesperson, Foivos Tsiklias, submitted their resignations. Shortly after, Marina Kontotoli, Alexandros Meikopoulos, and Charis Mamoulakis declared their independence from the party.

These developments have led to SYRIZA falling to fourth place in parliamentary strength. The previous day, Andreas Panagiotopoulos, Yiannis Gavrilis, and Giorgos Psychoyos had also declared their independence. These departures follow earlier resignations by Katerina Notopoulou and Giorgos Karameros, with Symeon Kedikoglou's resignation also considered a certainty.

In the last general election, SYRIZA secured 17.83% of the vote, making it the second-largest party with 47 elected lawmakers. The current number of lawmakers has now dwindled to fewer than 20, highlighting the severity of the internal crisis.