The SYRIZA leadership has left all options open regarding the formation of a preliminary investigation committee concerning the OPEKEPE scandal. More specifically, as they subtly indicate, they could agree with their former comrades from the New Left if the members of Patission (SYRIZA) moved away from the idea of an investigative committee and pursued a preliminary inquiry instead. They could also collaborate with the party based at Charilaou Trikoupi Street, which, however, prefers to submit its own request since it already has the 30 required signatures.
SYRIZA officials are well aware that both scenarios present challenges—on one hand, the New Left believes that preliminary committees tend to whitewash scandals, while on the other, PASOK is desperately seeking evidence to implicate Alexis Tsipras in the OPEKEPE case.
Therefore, SYRIZA plans to draft a motion for a preliminary inquiry and make it public so that any willing parties can co-sign. During yesterday’s parliamentary group meeting, the central idea was that a preliminary investigation must be formed to ensure no political responsibilities of government officials are overlooked after elections.
“The government has set up a network of corruption and clientelism at the expense of farmers. According to recent revelations, it has been proven that the Prime Minister was aware of his associates’ involvement in this scandal. Corruption isn’t just tolerated by the Mitsotakis government—it’s become the norm,” stated SYRIZA officials.
They added, “Our stance is clear: a Preliminary Investigation Committee must be urgently established for a scandal of this magnitude. It is essential that procedures accelerate so that everyone involved in the European Prosecutor’s Office indictment can be held accountable. Obviously, following these revelations, the country must be freed from the darkness of Mr. Mitsotakis’ administration. Calling early elections and forming a progressive government is necessary for the renewal of Greek society.”
**Ragkousis and Xenogiannakopoulou lead in votes**
Yesterday, the final results of the Central Committee election were made public. Giannis Ragkousis led in votes with 2,469, followed closely by Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou with 2,439. The pro-presidential faction holds a crushing majority with over 80% support.
Kostas Zacharias received 2,403 votes, followed by Yiannis Mouzalas (2,335), Thanasis Theoharopoulos (2,084), Yiannis Matzouranis (1,961), Yiannis Boulekos (1,805), Stergios Kalpakis (1,800), and Giorgos Balafas (1,793). On the other hand, the Palaskas–Pappas wing appears to have lost ground, with only Tryfon Alexiadis securing a top spot (1,782 votes).
Paulos Polakis retained much of his strength in Crete, as his close associate Markos Hatzisavvas was elected first by a significant margin over the second-place candidate.
Ragkousis’ dominance is attributed to being among the first to openly oppose Stefanos Kasselakis. The same applies to Theoharopoulos and Zacharias. Yiannis Matzouranis, who served as president of the congress that removed Kasselakis, was rewarded by SYRIZA officials.
The leading figures in the new Central Committee are known for advocating cooperation with other parties and, along with many MPs—who will naturally join ex officio—would not object to further engagement from Alexis Tsipras.
As the Central Committee prepares to elect the new Political Secretariat in the coming days, messages from Sokratis Famellou’s side suggest that the party leader will not entertain any discussions about factions or alliances following the Central Committee results.
“Anyone attempting such actions is clearly out of step. In the new SYRIZA-PS, there are—and should be—no tendencies, factions, or groups serving personal strategies,” said SYRIZA insiders.