Turkish Media to Kemalist leader Kılıçdaroğlu: "Resign like Tsipras"

The resignation of Alexis Tsipras from the leadership of SYRIZA is one of the main topics in Turkish media, particularly after the failure of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the Turkish elections.

As the correspondent of SKAI, Manolis Kostidis, reports from Istanbul, Tsipras was particularly loved by Leftist Turks, while they appreciate the fact that he resigned at the right time, i.e. after a heavy defeat.

At the same time, the Turkish media are throwing their punches at the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, who, even though Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defeated him, does not say that he will resign.

In the TGRT HABER news report, the journalist said: "Alexis Tsipras was also the prime minister of Greece. Prime Minister! Then he was the leader of the official opposition. And in the last election, after getting a bad result and winning a few MPs, he resigned, put his hat aside, and left."

"He did not act like Kılıçdaroğlu, who said that 'compared to the previous elections I got more than 10 points' and considers it a success! Tsipras had also won elections and was prime minister!" the report added.

Fatih Portakal, host of SÖZCÜ TV's news bulletin, emphasised for his part: "Tsipras is an important politician. He is the man who was pushing the ruling party. He had also ruled Greece. We are talking about Alexis Tsipras. the president of SYRIZA. He lost the election. And he resigned."

"This is the difference between the two leaders. The difference in reading democracy between the two leaders. Tsipras knows he has to go because he failed. And Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu knows he has to leave. But since there is no democracy neither in the country nor in the party, he will resist and keep his seat".

Meanwhile, following Tsipras’ resignation as SYRIZA leader , speculation mounts about his successor, with Efi Achtsioglou, Euclid Tsakalotos, Alexis Haritsis, Rena Dourou, and Nasos Iliopoulos all being touted as potential replacements.

The 38-year-old Achtsioglou won the majority of votes in the party’s central committee elections in 2022. She served as the labor minister from 2016 to 2019 and as the shadow economy minister in the previous parliamentary term.

Tsakalotos has considerable political experience and international recognition as an academic and was seen as instrumental in steering Greece out of the bailout era in 2018. However, according to some sources, he was considering a candidacy if Tsipras chose to run, not necessarily as a direct competitor, but to offer an alternative perspective within the party.

Haritsis past roles include secretary general for Public Investments – ESPA in 2015, followed by being an alternate minister of economy and development and later the deputy minister of economy, development, and tourism.

Rena Dourou, a SYRIZA MP representing Athens’ second constituency, is also being touted as a potential candidate. She was the regional governor of Attica while winning nearly 800,000 votes in 2014.

Nasos Iliopoulos, who, at just under 40 years old, boasts a successful span at the head of the independent labor inspection authority SEPE and later as the deputy minister of labor, is among the likely successors to Tsipras. He won the most votes for SYRIZA in Athens’ first constituency during the recent elections.

Some reports have even suggested that the former alternate minister of health, Pavlos Polakis, might enter the fray as a candidate.

Additionally, 42-year-old labor expert Dionysis Temboneras, who gained attention as the coordinator of the party’s electoral committee, presents an outsider option within the party leadership race.

The conservative New Democracy party secured a second term in the June 25 elections, obtaining 40.5 percent of the vote and 158 out of 300 available seats, while SYRIZA trailed far behind with only 17.8 percent of the vote and 47 seats.

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