Paulos Polakis has officially returned to SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, marking a pivotal moment in the party’s ongoing internal crisis. His reinstatement — along with the formal cancellation of the June 6 decision to pursue a coalition with Alexis Tsipras’s new party, EL.A.S. — was approved during the first day of a turbulent Central Committee (KE) meeting. The session, held at the Wyndham Grand hotel in Metaxourgeio, Athens, will resume next Saturday (July 18, 2026).
A Dramatic Re-Entry
Polakis announced his return in a highly charged Facebook post published mid-session. Referring to the failed ‘Plan B’ — widely understood as the effort to form a broader left-wing alliance outside SYRIZA — he declared: “‘Plan B’ has FAILED SPECTACULARLY.” He accused Deputy Secretary Anastasia Sapouna and the Organisational Department head of waging a ‘frenzied war’ against him and his allies.
In his message, Polakis confirmed that the KE had convened with full quorum — 81 members physically present and 59 joining remotely via Zoom — and would adopt two key decisions: the annulment of the June 6 resolution on cooperation with Tsipras’s EL.A.S., and his own readmission to the Parliamentary Group. He concluded with the rallying cry: “We stand tall — and we continue!”
Quorum Confirmed, Compromise Reached
Despite early doubts about attendance, the KE session proceeded lawfully under SYRIZA’s statutes. The faction led by Polakis and Nikos Pappas — who arrived early at the venue — confirmed the presence of the required majority. A crucial role was played by Theophilos Xanthopoulos, Chair of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, who proposed a compromise framework for Polakis’s return. That proposal gained broad political acceptance within the committee.
The KE’s vote effectively nullifies the earlier decision — adopted under former KE President Sokratis Famellos, who has since resigned — to explore a joint path with Tsipras’s newly launched party. However, it remains unclear whether all party organs — including regional committees and local branches — will formally endorse these decisions.
Shifting Alliances and Internal Tensions
The Saturday morning meeting underscored deepening fractures within SYRIZA following Famellos’s resignation. Attendance was sparse, yet Polakis’s camp insisted quorum was met — and the session opened as scheduled. Among those present were Polakis, Pappas, Rina Dourou, Fotis Kouvelis, Stelios Pappas, and Eleni Akritha — reflecting visible realignments compared to previous KE gatherings.
Notably, Nikos Pappas — who until recently appeared aligned with Dourou — appeared publicly alongside Polakis. In his statement, Pappas stressed that the meeting complied fully with the party’s statutes and argued that rapidly shifting political realities had rendered the previous strategy obsolete. He reaffirmed SYRIZA’s commitment to building a broader progressive front — though now firmly anchored within the party itself.