In Need of Hope

The opposition in Greece is experiencing an ever-escalating crisis. It all started with SYRIZA's split with the New Left, continued with the announcement of intraparty elections for PASOK and finally the ousting of Stefanos Kasselakis as leader of SYRIZA. The situation is unfolding, however, as the people grapple with the rising cost of living and the many ills brought about by the New Democracy government. Thus, people need strong opposition, which tends to get lost amid these intraparty proceedings.

The main issue of the situation is not the political instability per se. It's true that there are obstructions in the opposition's parliamentary work and that criticism against the government has taken a backseat to the intraparty proceedings. The real problem is the people's declining trust towards partisan politics. While Greece is scoring some of the lowest rankings in Europe regarding cost of living and wages, the country's political system is more preoccupied with which candidate went to what place, and who said what on social media. Therefore, the people's outrage is very much deserved and could lead to them changing political directions. What is for sure, however, is that the greatest loser out of this situation is the people.

Who benefits

Μαζί με τους χαμένους, φυσικά, υπάρχουν και αυτοί που ωφελούνται από την αναμπουμπούλα της αντιπολίτευσης. Πρώτοι ωφελημένοι είναι η κυβέρνηση και ο Πρωθυπουργός, που παρά την κατρακύλα στις δημοσκοπήσεις, λειτουργεί σε ένα καθεστώς μη πλήρους αντιπολίτευσης. Ελλείψει κριτικής, βεβαίως, η θέση της ΝΔ δεν κινδυνεύει καθόλου και ενδέχεται να επανεκλεγεί αν η κατάσταση δεν καταλαγιάσει το συντομότερο δυνατό. Εν συνεχεία, η ακροδεξιά είναι ακόμα περισσότερο ευνοημένη από την κατάσταση. Όταν τα δύο κόμματα της αντιπολίτευσης οδεύουν προς την εσωστρέφεια, η ακροδεξιά ξεχωρίζει ως  αντιπολίτευση για δυο λόγους: 1. Μπορεί να επικεντρωθεί στο να κριτικάρει την κυβέρνηση χωρίς εσωτερικά μπερδέματα 2. Μπορεί να εκμεταλλευθεί την οργή του κόσμου από τις διαδικασίες αυτές, και με όπλο τον λαϊκισμό, να μετατρέψει τον θυμό σε ψήφους, πράγμα που είναι η βασική της εκλογική στρατηγική.

There are, of course, those who individually benefit from these intraparty procedures. Apart from the opportunists who are inciting them for their own benefit, there is also a scenario where amid this confusion, the return of Alexis Tsipras is being prepared, in order to unite the center-left. While this is very common to hear, it's something that won't happen. Because as much as a PASOK voter wants Mitsotakis to lose, they hate Tsipras even more. On top of that, Tsipras has already been defeated by the PM so he won't be able to inspire people.

However, there is some truth to that rumour. There is a group wanting SYRIZA and PASOK to come closer in terms of their programmes and even cooperate in the elections. They want this by pushing PASOK towards the left and away from the centre, something supported by candidates in the intraparty elections. This is also wrong because it emanates from the confusion that Greece and Athens are the same thing. PASOK has high election numbers away from the big cities, and that is exactly because it does not go toward the left. If it does, it will disappear. Because people are closer to the centre, and if we are being honest, Greece is more conservative than the left wants to believe. This is how ND has taken over: Mitsotakis avoided the party's right-wing character, making many ideological concessions and bringing along people all over the centre. The right-wing people did not like this, but it worked in the general public. Thus the Syrizafication of PASOK is something destined to fail.

What must be done

The question is what must happen now. The most important thing is to achieve stability. In other words, the internal party procedures should be carried out, but then there should be nothing other than parliamentary work as the opposition. This will happen, however, only when we the citizens use our vote in the intra-party and the subsequent general elections, supporting stability over political games. More importantly, the next presidents of the two parties must take action in favour of both their own interests and the public's: clean up the parties they are called to govern. For this, they must find the political courage to expel those who undermine the parties for personal gain. We won't get anywhere if we keep getting entangled in party-interior issues, which makes these cleanups a top priority.

So, this is the intraparty elections situation. Some benefit and will benefit from this great upset, but there is a clear loser: the people. It is the people who lose their purchasing power when others want to upgrade their political careers. It is the people who are defeated because their property becomes a victim of fires and floods, while others plot against their party "comrades". The people are looking for support in the difficult situation they are experiencing. So, let's end the intraparty conflicts and give the people the hope they so desperately want.