Crisis in Greece's Syriza Party as Nine Lawmakers Resign

Resignations in protest of new leader Stefanos Kasselakis leave party with reduced parliamentary presence and potential for new political group formation.

Nine lawmakers from Greece's main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, quit in protest against its newly elected leader, Stefanos Kasselakis.
The resignations reduce the number of seats held by Syriza in the election from 47 to 36 in the 300-member parliament.
Critics describe Kasselakis as intolerant of dissent and unable to reach a policy consensus in the historically fractured party.
Syriza has dropped to third place behind Socialist opponents in opinion polls, boosting the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative government.
The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year.