“Everyone is welcome”—but “there are no reserve positions for anyone,” declared Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Greek Left Coalition (ELAS), in an interview with Antonis Sroiter. He set firm boundaries—even a prohibitive one: ELAS will not cooperate with any party, including SYRIZA. The historic alliance between the two has formally ended. A SYRIZA MP may join ELAS only after resigning from Parliament. Tsipras also dismissed concerns about PAUL POLAKIS’s internal disputes within SYRIZA—and clarified that his relationship with Sokratis Famellos remains strictly social: exchanging holiday wishes, occasional contact—nothing more. His message could hardly have been clearer. Any lingering illusions were decisively dispelled.
A Party in Crisis
SYRIZA is mired in internal division. While most appear to support aligning with Tsipras’s coalition, a growing number of Central Committee members are pushing for SYRIZA to run independently in the next elections—and only consider cooperation with ELAS afterward. Polls place SYRIZA at just 0.5–1.5%, prompting the question: “Where exactly is this naked walk into the thorns leading?” In stark contrast, ELAS—since its launch—has shown strong, sustained momentum and now appears consolidated in second place, eyeing the 20% threshold, though it remains early days.
The Thessaloniki Fair Dilemma
There is palpable anxiety within SYRIZA over whether Sokratis Famellos will attend the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in September—and if so, whether he’ll present SYRIZA’s own program or endorse Tsipras’s. These aren’t tactical questions; they’re existential. With September approaching, SYRIZA leadership must decide—not just on appearances, but on substance. The visible confusion of those appearing on TV talk shows does neither them nor their party any favors.
Abramopoulos Challenges European Arrest Warrant
Dimitris Avramopoulos, former EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship—and current MP—has formally requested the annulment of a European Arrest Warrant issued against him by Belgian authorities on 16 June 2026 (10 days ago). In a formal note addressed to the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General of the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), with copies sent to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee chair, Avramopoulos stresses the urgency: transmission of the warrant to Parliament “constitutes the start of its execution”—potentially opening the door to his arrest.
Legal Grounds for Annulment
Avramopoulos argues the warrant suffers from “multiple legal invalidities,” empowering both the Appeals Prosecutor and the Prosecutor General of the Areios Pagos—and the Minister of Justice—to deem it “entirely null and therefore unenforceable,” including the request to lift his parliamentary immunity. Notably, Avramopoulos had initially offered to voluntarily seek the lifting of his immunity—but has now shifted strategy, demanding instead the warrant itself be declared void.