SYRIZA press secretary says only parliamentary group can readmit expelled MPs, after central committee tensions

The core dispute

SYRIZA press secretary Christos Giannoulis used a Sunday morning interview on Action 24 to draw a sharp procedural line: the Central Committee cannot decide by itself to return an expelled MP to the parliamentary group. His remarks directly contested events that took place during Saturday's Central Committee session. Giannoulis described the committee's action as an attempt to substitute a decision that the statutes reserve exclusively for the president and the members of the parliamentary group.

The return of any expelled MP is done only through the normal procedure and whatever is prescribed by the rules. It cannot be substituted by any other decision.

Famellos resignation

Giannoulis called the resignation of Sokratis Famellos a top-tier political event that should not be overshadowed by procedural clashes over party organs. He argued that the party missed an opportunity to use the resignation as a restart moment and instead turned it into a field of conflict, giving another excuse to anyone who was already thinking of leaving. He stressed the need for public debate to return to the substance of politics and to the problems facing society.

Left, tension and violence do not go together. Instead of turning Famellos's resignation into a restart point, we made it a field of conflict, giving yet another justification to anyone considering leaving.

Progressive cooperation

On the broader question of cooperation among progressive forces, Giannoulis noted that SYRIZA's proposal had political meaning as long as the field of dialogue remained open. After Alexis Tsipras clearly positioned the Greek Left Alliance for an autonomous course, that particular discussion has concluded in its current form. Giannoulis insisted that the strategic objective has not changed and that the search for wider progressive convergences remains essential right up to the election call, since no party alone can guarantee the political change that society is demanding.

Citizens' priorities

Giannoulis underlined that citizens do not care about internal party balances or about which individual gets elected as an MP. What matters to them is whether the progressive forces can shape a credible alternative governance proposal. He said the big picture is not the procedural questions but whether the party can assemble a reliable proposal for political change.

The big picture is not the procedural details. It is whether we can shape a credible proposal for political change. That is what the citizens are asking for and that is where all our effort must be focused.

Pavlos Polakis context

The procedural remarks came in direct response to questions about Pavlos Polakis. Giannoulis made it clear that the readmission of any expelled MP cannot happen through decisions of the Central Committee or any other party organ. It belongs exclusively to the president of the parliamentary group and the members of the parliamentary group, who decide according to the prescribed statutory procedures.