Greece's Tsipras Resigns as Syriza Leader After Election Defeat

Facts

• Greece's former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday announced that he was stepping down as leader of the Syriza party after 15 years, following an executive committee meeting about the party's future.¹
• His decision comes amid criticism over his leadership after Syriza suffered a demoralizing election defeat last Sunday. The party garnered less than 18% of the vote, while the now-ruling conservative New Democracy received more than 40% of the ballots.²
• This result translates into a majority of eight in the 300-member Greek Parliament for the victorious New Democracy and 48 seats for Syriza, down from the 71 seats obtained in an inconclusive electoral poll in May.³
• The longest-serving leader in Syriza's history, Tsipras held Greece's top office from 2015 to 2019 and led the nation through a period marked mostly by financial turmoil and austerity. He will remain as head of the party until a successor is found.⁴
• Tsipras argued that Syriza must open a "new historical circle" focused on today's challenges and expectations, and urged proactivity from members ahead of the upcoming regional and local elections in the fall.⁵
• In reaction to the resignation of his defeated rival, the re-elected Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the result was predictable, as Syriza and Tsipras have lost three elections in a row.⁶

Sources: ¹eKathimerini, ²Greek City Times, ³BBC News, ⁴DW, ⁵Euractiv, and ⁶GreekReporter.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Jacobin. When Syriza rose to power roughly a decade ago, it was seen as a breath of fresh air in Europe, and had a popular mandate to reject the austerity policies imposed by the IMF and the EU. Yet, as Tsipras yielded to pressure during his tenure, voters lost confidence in the politicians of his government. The Greek left must now reorganize itself to offer a convincing alternative to the nation's people.
• Right narrative, as provided by European Conservative. Despite wiretapping scandals, a train tragedy and a migrant boat disaster off the coast, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis took risks and won big with his pro-business and pro-European platform. Greek citizens voted for stability of the center-right government over the discredited and increasingly disunited left, even in working-class areas of Athens and the socialist stronghold of Crete.