Once Greece’s strongest radical left party, Syriza is now engulfed in internal disputes that have spread from Athens to Brussels, revealing deep divisions within the party.
Members of Syriza won four seats in the 2024 European Parliament elections, securing their position among Greece’s 21 MEPs. However, the party’s delegation has effectively been reduced to two, following expulsions and disciplinary battles.
Syriza’s turmoil in Brussels mirrors its fragile position at home, as the once-powerful left-wing party that governed Greece between 2015 and 2019 now struggles to regain its footing. The downfall began after former Prime Minister and party leader Alexis Tsipras resigned from Syriza in December. He is widely rumoured to be planning to establish a new party.
The latest episode centres on MEP Nikolas Farantouris, who was expelled from Syriza last week after signalling openness to a potential new political movement led by Maria Karystianou, the mother representing victims of the 2023 Tempi train crash that killed 57 people.
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Karystianou, who has gained significant public support in Greece, has announced that she is preparing to launch a new party focused on combating corruption and securing accountability from politicians she says bear responsibility for the disaster.
“I join my voice in calling for justice and transparency,” Farantouris said, stopping short of explicitly stating that he would join the new movement.
Syriza’s leadership nevertheless interpreted the remark as an overture to Karystianou’s initiative and moved swiftly to expel him.
A poll published on Wednesday found that Syriza’s support stands at 5.3%. However, a separate poll suggests that Syriza could face further losses if Tsipras or Karystianou were to establish their own parties.
Fierce confrontation
In a letter seen by Euractiv and addressed to the leadership of the EU Left group, Farantouris accused Syriza of expelling him in an “unethical and profoundly undemocratic manner,” claiming he was neither informed in advance nor given the opportunity to defend himself.
He further alleged that fellow Syriza MEP Kostas Arvanitis – vice-chair of the EU Left group and soon-to-be co-chair – played an “active” role in the decision.
“To add insult to injury,” Farantouris wrote, “the following day he appeared on Greek television networks and launched inexplicable personal attacks against me, resorting to ad hominem characterisations. He also publicly called on me to resign from my seat in the European Parliament.”
“This raises a serious political and institutional issue that directly concerns the group itself and can no longer be treated as an internal party matter,” he added.
A Syriza source in Athens told Euractiv that the letter appears to be an attempt by Farantouris to pre-empt developments in Brussels, as the EU Left group is expected to summon him to explain recent remarks on TV in which he accused Syriza’s leadership – including Arvanitis – of using “Stalinist methods.”
The same source stressed that Syriza has not requested Farantouris’ removal from the EU Left group, arguing that the dispute remains an internal party issue and should not concern Brussels.
Pappas on the grill
Meanwhile, Euractiv has learned that the European Parliament’s The Left will meet next week to discuss the future of Greek MEP Nikos Pappas.
Pappas – a two-metre-tall former professional basketball player – is accused of assaulting a journalist in a Strasbourg bar last December. He has immediately been expelled from Syriza.
According to an EU Left source, the group will decide whether to expel Pappas or impose disciplinary measures pending the outcome of judicial proceedings.
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