Using the phrase ‘SYRIZA is not lowering the shutters’, Socrates Famellis sought to counter the impression of a party passively watching former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras advance his new political initiative — the Greek Left Coalition (ELAS). Speaking at a meeting of the party’s Executive Office, Famellis sent a clear message about SYRIZA’s continued political presence — and issued a warning to those who assume the party’s headquarters on Kountouriotou Street has effectively gone into self-imposed hibernation.
A Conditional Endorsement
Famellis defended the Central Committee’s decision to support Tsipras’s ELAS initiative, but stressed that this backing does not equate to political silence or unconditional alignment. In his presentation, he reaffirmed SYRIZA’s core priorities: maintaining active political engagement, fostering progressive dialogue ahead of the next elections, and preparing for the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF/DETH).
‘No one alone can defeat the Mitsotakis regime,’ he stated pointedly — underscoring the need for broad progressive convergence. Yet he did not conceal his frustration with what he described as ELAS’s dismissive stance, citing ‘derogatory comments’ and ‘a refusal to cooperate or converge’.
Recognition — and Boundaries
Famellis acknowledged that ELAS has triggered a ‘tectonic shift’ in Greece’s progressive landscape. But he quickly added that SYRIZA still possesses substantial political, programmatic, social, and human capital. His message was twofold: Tsipras remains a pivotal figure, yet SYRIZA is not a residual political entity awaiting absorption.
‘Our decision to support ELAS’s initiative does not cancel our political activity, public dialogue, or critical voice,’ he said, emphasizing respect for Tsipras’s path and contributions. At the same time, he insisted that the wider left demands coalition-building, unity, and the pooling of forces.
An Internal Warning
The second front of Famellis’s intervention targeted internal dissent. Amid mounting speculation and calls for a new Central Committee meeting, he responded directly to party members who, he said, publicly challenged the Central Committee’s decision ‘from day one’ — even, in his words, ‘mining’ it from within.
‘We cannot decide something one day and be asked the next to implement something entirely different,’ he said — implicitly accusing the minority faction of undermining party cohesion and feeding institutional decay. Still, he confirmed that the Central Committee would reconvene on Saturday, 11 July, reinforcing that party organs remain fully operational — thereby countering ‘rumours and para-political commentary’.
‘I Have No Personal Agenda’
In response to personal attacks and speculation about his leadership, Famellis declared: ‘I have no personal agenda.’ He added: ‘I assumed a commitment — backed by a strategy for the future — and I will continue on that path, even as margins narrow.’ The remark carried both defensive weight and an unmistakable note of caution.
Famellis positioned himself as the guardian of party unity — precisely as tensions mount around Kountouriotou Street.