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Mr.Kasselakis expels 3 senior members

Stefanos Kasselakis, the leader of SYRIZA, declared late on Monday that he had decided to expel three senior party figures, all of whom were former ministers.

Nikos Filis, Panos Skourletis, and Dimitris Vitsas were allegedly "TV sponsors" of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to Kasselakis.

All three of these left-leaning party members have used the media to harshly criticize Kasselakis, a political novice who has lived in the US for the past 21 years, for what they claim to be a lack of a distinct political ideology. Kasselakis and Beppe Grillo, an Italian comedian and the founder of the Five Star Movement, a populist party that has been a coalition partner in two governments, have been compared by Filis to former US President Donald Trump and Kasselakis.

The three seasoned politicians increased their criticism after this week's publication of articles Kasselakis wrote about ten years ago that advocated for measures derided as neo-liberal by the Greek left. Vitsas even declared that a new "green, radical left" party would probably be founded.

Kasselakis shared his choice on social media, as usual.

"For at least five years, specific SYRIZA members have made anti-SYRIZA statements on TV channels. I explicitly stated a few days ago that this strategy will no longer be accepted," he wrote in the post.

"Therefore, Messrs. Vitsas, Skourletis and Filis, who appeared in recent days on TV to oppose their own party, have chosen to place themselves outside SYRIZA-Proressive Alliance," he continued, accusing Mitsotakis' "sponsors" of aiding in a few electoral losses. They won't prevent us from winning the next game, Kasselakis said.

The right to unilaterally expel members does not belong to the leader. It must be done by a disciplinary commission. However, defying the leader's orders would be unusual.

This disciplinary action could open the way for all those who opposed Kasselakis’ candidacy to quit the party. It is to be seen if many of the party members and voters would follow them. Historical precedent runs against it, however.


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