In brief
On Friday, 23 October, independent Ilia MP Dionysis Kalamatianos announced he had submitted a resignation letter to the Speaker and would back the Greek Left Alliance (ΕΛΑΣ) of former prime minister Alexis Tsipras.
Zoi Anastasopoulou is the first runner-up and formally takes the seat, but whether she keeps it is still open. Makis Balaouras is the second runner-up.
Sokratis Vardakis, runner-up in Charis Mamoulakis's seat, was sworn in and strengthened the SYRIZA parliamentary group, which now counts 11 MPs and is still 36 seats smaller than after the 2023 elections.
Kostas Zachariadis, former SYRIZA press spokesman, announced he is joining Tsipras's party, and similar moves by other former SYRIZA MPs are expected.
The resignation
Dionysis Kalamatianos, an independent MP for Ilia who was first elected with SYRIZA and became independent during the summer, announced on Friday, 23 October that he is giving up his seat. He made the announcement in a video posted on Facebook, the same channel Charis Mamoulakis used when he resigned in the days before. Kalamatianos said he had written to the Speaker of Parliament, presenting the decision as an act of political consistency and responsibility.
“I announce that I am submitting a letter of resignation as an MP to the President of the Hellenic Parliament.”
Joining Tsipras's party
In the same post he said he is moving politically with the Greek Left Alliance (ΕΛΑΣ), led by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras. He argued that a strong, democratic and progressive pole with a prospect of governing is needed to end the policies of the current government, which he blamed for rising living costs, widening inequality, impoverishment and the weakening of institutions and the rule of law. He said the alliance and Tsipras can rally people and carry out a political overturn, and that he backs them politically, programmatically and emotionally.
“It is a clear choice of conscience, consistency and responsibility.”
Kalamatianos also thanked the citizens who supported him over the years and said his resignation does not mean leaving active politics.
Who takes the seat
Formally, the seat passes to the first runner-up, Zoi Anastasopoulou, but whether she will keep it remains to be seen. The second runner-up is Makis Balaouras, a former MP and founding SYRIZA figure who, after the 2023 split, was close to New Left. In Mamoulakis's case, the runner-up Sokratis Vardakis was sworn in without difficulty and joined the SYRIZA parliamentary group, which now counts 11 MPs. The group is still 36 seats smaller than after the 2023 elections.
A wider exodus from SYRIZA
Kalamatianos is the latest independent MP from SYRIZA to step down, and similar moves by others are expected. Kostas Zachariadis, a former SYRIZA press spokesman who leads the municipal faction "Anoichti Poli", also announced via video that he is joining Tsipras's party. On 22 October, Rena Dourou posted a welcome video of Vardakis, a move meant to project recovery while the party faces strong pressure in the polls. The SYRIZA ballots of 2023 included Tsipras supporters, backers of Stefanos Kasselakis or New Left, and people now looking favourably on PASOK, so the stance of the runners-up could affect other parties as well.
What comes next
The runners-up's decisions will determine whether the vacated seats return to SYRIZA's group or move elsewhere. Kalamatianos's resignation takes effect through the letter he submitted to the Speaker, and the next steps depend on how Anastasopoulou and Balaouras respond.