In a post on X, Health Minister and New Democracy deputy leader Adonis Georgiadis commented on Sokratis Famellos’ resignation from the presidency of SYRIZA, attributing the move to a political strategy orchestrated by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Georgiadis claimed Famellos had been subjected to a ‘political humiliation’ that, he said, was ‘planned from the outset’ by Tsipras — a development that has opened a new crisis cycle within SYRIZA.
‘Not Insignificant Politically’
Georgiadis stressed that Famellos — now former party president — is ‘not insignificant politically; quite the opposite.’ He described most of Famellos’ tenure as ‘dignified’, with the exception of what he called ‘a very bad moment’: Famellos’ public adoption of the widely ridiculed claim that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis bore responsibility for the death of the Larissa prosecutor’s son. Despite that episode, Georgiadis characterized Famellos as ‘one of the better ministers’ in SYRIZA’s government — though he added that Famellos’ current departure from leadership was the result of a deliberate plan aimed at his political marginalization.
The ‘Balcony Moment’
Georgiadis focused closely on the deteriorating relationship between Famellos and Tsipras, identifying the so-called ‘balcony incident’ — a widely reported public confrontation — as the ‘critical moment’. According to Georgiadis, if Famellos had resigned then, in protest and ‘respecting the institution he represented’, he could have preserved his political standing. ‘From the moment Tsipras humiliated him there, he should have resigned the next day,’ Georgiadis wrote.
‘Tsipras’ Plan’
The Health Minister asserted that Famellos’ resignation fits into a broader strategy by Tsipras to weaken SYRIZA politically. Citing reports, Georgiadis claimed that since the June 2023 elections, Tsipras concluded his own political survival depended on dismantling the party he once led. ‘In essence, he never really left,’ Georgiadis remarked, placing Tsipras at the center of the events leading to Famellos’ exit.
The ‘Wild Card’: Pavlos Polakis
Georgiadis also highlighted PASOK MP Pavlos Polakis as a potential wild card in Tsipras’ calculations. He suggested that Polakis’ possible rise to SYRIZA leadership could complicate Tsipras’ plans — describing Polakis as ‘no easy opponent’ who might even boost SYRIZA’s vote share enough to keep him in Parliament.