With national elections looming, Greece’s political landscape resembles a high-stakes transfer window—less football league, more shifting allegiances. The phrase ‘you leave, you come’ dominates headlines and backroom negotiations across the spectrum: old parties, new formations, and even the reorganising camp of former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
Motives Behind the Moves
Party strength and personal political survival are driving forces behind these realignments. As election day approaches, internal party dynamics are intensifying—and so are individual strategies, often wrapped in party branding.
Tsipras’s Open Door
It’s not only SYRIZA members seeking refuge in Alexis Tsipras’s newly restructured party. Over 100–150 PASOK cadres are reportedly exploring options with clear electoral prospects. Among them: Anna Papadopoulou, former PASOK spokesperson known for her strong public presence—a loss many believe weakened PASOK. She moved from PASOK’s headquarters on Charilaou Trikoupi Street to Tsipras’s base on Filellinon Street in just days.
Former PASOK MP and ELAS spokesperson Marinus Skandamis made an even quicker transition—overnight.
Notably, Tsipras appears stricter with former allies than with outsiders—a pattern observers have noted as he consolidates his post-SYRIZA platform.
Xenogiannakopoulou’s Departure
Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, long a visible presence at events hosted by former Prime Minister George Papandreou—both before and after his formation of the Movement for Change—has officially left SYRIZA. In her announcement, she spoke of ‘clean solutions and courageous breakthroughs’ within the broader progressive space, calling Tsipras’s new initiative ‘a way out and a source of hope.’
She has personal ties to Papandreou but is now set to join Tsipras’s group. Her move does not require resignation from parliament—she is not currently an MP—so no formal step was needed to comply with Tsipras’s stated condition for incoming MPs.
The Doukas Question
Around Athens mayor Haris Doukas, speculation continues. He has dismissed rumours of joining Tsipras as ‘absurd’, yet his strained relations with PASOK leadership—including Nikos Androulakis and Anna Diamantopoulou—leave room for interpretation. Allies suggest nothing is ruled out.
Tzakri’s Return to PASOK
The formal split between Theodora Tzakri and Stefanos Kasselakis—leader of the Democrats—was confirmed publicly this week, following months of tension. A September 2025 leak of SMS exchanges between the two, sent while Kasselakis was in the U.S., had already revealed deep rifts.
While Tzakri’s rightward shift under Kasselakis may have been the trigger, insiders suggest deeper ideological and strategic differences were at play. Her return to PASOK appears all but certain.
A hurdle remains: PASOK’s current statute limits parliamentary candidacies for those who have served more than three consecutive terms—or over 23 years, as in Tzakri’s case. However, recent interpretations suggest the rule applies only to current party members and officials, excluding figures like Haris Kastanidis—despite his lifelong PASOK affiliation. One possible solution: Tzakri could enter as a ‘collaborating’ figure rather than a full member, especially given her strong local support in Pella, where she is widely expected to run again.