The SYRIZA Political Secretariat convened on Monday, 13 July 2026, at the party’s headquarters on Koumoundourou Street in Athens. The meeting — held in the wake of Sokratis Famellos’ resignation from the party presidency — focused on charting a path forward, including setting a timeline and procedures for electing a new party leadership and defining next steps ahead of the upcoming national elections.
Senior party figures including Pavlos Polakis and Rina Dourou arrived shortly after 3 p.m., joining other top members such as Nikos Pappas. Later this week, SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group is also expected to meet to elect its new leader — the person who will represent the party in the Hellenic Parliament.
Meanwhile, internal reconfigurations continue. Deputy Secretary Anastasia Sapouna submitted her resignation, alongside six other party members. In his final appearance before stepping down, Panos Lambrinidis-Stachtos — Secretary of SYRIZA’s Youth Wing — called for a binding referendum among party members. His proposal: that SYRIZA not run independently in the upcoming parliamentary elections, but instead support the electoral list led by Alexis Tsipras — widely seen as the coalition representing the majority of Greece’s left-wing and democratic voters.
‘A Democratic Demand’
Lambrinidis-Stachtos argued that the moment demands unity and political clarity: “We are here today to declare the following: Greek society needs a major political realignment — one that reorganises the two main ideological blocs ahead of the elections: the right and the left. In this battle, no one is expendable. There is no room for fragmentation, personal strategies, or minorities seeking to impose their views on the majority through sheer will.
We collectively call for activating Articles 26 and 27 of SYRIZA’s statutes — the provisions governing internal referendums — and holding a vote of all members. The question must be clear: Should SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance refrain from fielding its own ballot in the next parliamentary elections and instead back the list headed by Alexis Tsipras, which unites the majority of Greece’s left and democratic citizens?
This is not a step back out of fear — it is a strategic move to build momentum, prevent a political vacuum after election day, and mount a credible response to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy (ND) government.”
The appeal concludes with a call to SYRIZA members and officials to endorse the referendum proposal both in the Political Secretariat and at the forthcoming Central Committee meeting — urging them to rise to the occasion.