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Stefanos Kasselakis waves at SYRIZA\u00a0party members after losing a no-confidence motion during\u00a0a meeting of the central committee, in Athens, on September 8. [Dimitris Sarelas\/Intime News]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Former SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis has announced he is leaving the party.<\/p>\n
Kasselakis made his decision known after the party\u2019s congress made it clear it would refuse to consider his candidacy for the leadership election to be held later this month.<\/p>\n
He added that he will be forming a new party and will make a further announcement early Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome back at 1 p.m. for the most independent, most groundbreaking movement that will be created in this country,\u201d Kasselakis said Friday night from his offices in the Athens suburb of Tavros.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not an apostasy, but the continuation of the democratic Left in our country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Three SYRIZA lawmakers, Alexandros Avlonitis, Petros Pappas and Rallia Christidou, supporters of Kasselakis, announced they are leaving or will shortly be living the party to become independent MPs.<\/p>\n
Many Kasselakis supporters, who had entered the Congress\u2019 venue, left the premises quietly after the announcement.<\/p>\n
The tension inside and outside the venue delayed the Congress\u2019 start by almost three hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was clear from the start that the pro- and anti-Kasselakis groups would not compromise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They could not even agree on the number of Congress delegates. The presiding officer at the Congress, Yiannis Mantzouranis, announced they are 4,282, while Kasselakis\u2019 supporters said they are 3,587.<\/p>\n
The venue was not full. Delegates can also attend online.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n