New internal tensions have emerged within SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, as party spokesperson Christos Giannoulis delivered a sharp rebuttal to MP Pavlos Polakis’s recent remarks about “bad luck.” Speaking on the MEGA TV show Koinonia Ora, Giannoulis made pointed criticisms of Polakis—without naming him outright at every turn—saying: “It’s bad luck to assume you’re the only one, and no one else matters.” He added that “it’s bad luck to be at the heart of all the problems that have arisen within SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance.”
Accusations of inconsistency and misjudgment
Giannoulis accused the MP for Chania of having participated in what he called a “clerical circle” with certain figures—whom Polakis later publicly denounced and even apologized for supporting. He also criticized Polakis for underestimating a potential fellow candidate and choosing to focus on virtually anything other than building a credible, trustworthy political space.
Restoring seriousness as SYRIZA’s top priority
With Sokratis Famellos’s recent resignation marking a new chapter for the party, Giannoulis stressed that SYRIZA’s central challenge is regaining its seriousness. That, he said, can only happen through political discourse that avoids condescension, dismissal, or trivializing language—whether directed at comrades or political opponents.
Concluding his remarks, Giannoulis noted that since his election as MP with SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance in 2019, he has never found himself “caught up in any kind of crisis that disrupted the party’s course”—a comment widely interpreted as an implicit contrast with the conduct of other party figures over the past several years.