ekathimerini - The Greek Letter - September 01, 2024 - The situation within main opposition party SYRIZA continues to deteriorate and more...

 

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. The situation within main opposition party SYRIZA continues to deteriorate. Leader Stefanos Kasselakis, who was on the island of Crete ahead of his wedding ceremony this past Friday, called a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Group via Zoom in which he demanded the removal of the group’s president Sokratis Famellos. Famellos refused to go gently into that good night, leading to a particularly incendiary meeting. “This proposal leads us to even more introspection. Real problems are not covered up by surprise and dismissals. For 11 months now, the parliamentary group has been working in unity and unanimity,” he noted, and called for a vote. Kasselakis won the ensuing contest, but barely. The president’s candidate received 17 votes in favor, with 12 MPs (in their majority members of the party’s internal opposition) voting against the change and four abstaining. The change is perceived to be an attempt by Kasselakis to arrest the opposition within the party, but Famellos’ refusal to quit was something that the party leader did not expect. The party leadership also announced the expulsion of MP Athina Linou, following accusations by former SYRIZA MP Pavlos Polakis that she violated transparency rules. It is worth noting that Linou was instrumental in the expulsion of Polakis from SYRIZA’s parliamentary group (but not from the party) in July. The expulsion of Linou, who refused to give up her seat (bringing down the number of SYRIZA MPs to 34), is also widely considered to be part of the ongoing leadership struggles within the party. Analysts note that the decision is likely an attempt by Kasselakis to establish a rapprochement with the firebrand Polakis. After all, Polakis was one of the first during this latest bout of instability to state that he would call for a confidence vote on Kasselakis’ leadership at the party’s upcoming central committee. Finally, bringing to a close a difficult political week for Kasselakis, his route to a parliamentary seat has effectively been closed as former SYRIZA spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou was sworn in to replace outgoing an outgoing SYRIZA MP . Spotlight The capital region of Attica faces the threat of water shortages in less than five years if the current drought continues. According to the Environment Ministry and the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP), two of the reservoirs supplying the capital are at historically low levels. “In the last two years, due to the drought, the reserves have decreased from 1,158,127 million cubic meters in August 2022 to 703,339 million cubic meters in August 2024, an average of about 225 million cubic meters per year,” noted the ministry. EYDAP has announced its intention to launch new and reactivate older drilling projects near the capital and stated it is considering further diverting rivers towards Athens. It is also examining the option of constructing a desalination plant.   Hundreds of thousands of dead fish flooded a tourist port in the city of Volos, with the fish blanketing a massive area that stretched into the nearby Pagasetic Gulf. According to the Environment Ministry, the fish died of natural causes as they were all freshwater fish that flourished in nearby Lake Karla, flooded by Storm Daniel last September. However, as the lake shrunk to its normal size, many were swept towards the open sea through an open flood gate. The Supreme Court Prosecutor has announced that it will investigate why the gate had been left open. The city of Volos declared a state of emergency, with the dead fish affecting both local businesses and leading to the closure of eight beaches. The incident has also led to a fierce war of words between the city’s mayor and the regional government.

MUST READS SYRIZA’s swift and irreversible collapseGo to article > Opportunity in the shadow of quarrelsGo to article > Pooling our scarce resourcesGo to article >

OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition PASOK at 50 and the challenges ahead With New Democracy paying an increasingly high price for numerous shortcomings and mistakes, especially during the last few years, and SYRIZA experiencing never-ending catastrophic infighting, the country’s third largest party, PASOK, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The party, founded by the late Andreas Papandreou on September 3, 1974, faces two challenges; to elect a new leader following vocal opposition to current head Nikos Androulakis after the recent European elections while also finding a way to increase its appeal and present itself as a credible alternative to the center-right government. Having led Greece for almost half of the past 50 years, with many positive contributions but also costly mistakes, PASOK is now at a crossroads with respect to its ideological compass and long term goals. Whatever happens in its leadership contest that will take place next month, the numbers, and common sense, make one thing clear: the only way for the center-left to end the conservatives’ grab on power is for PASOK and SYRIZA, along with the smaller New Left, to find a way to work with each other offering a common “progressive” perspective. Will the new head of the party be able or willing to lead in this effort? We willl know very soon.

CHART OF THE WEEK

The Finance Ministry has announced that it will retain its reduced tax advance demand for the self-employed in 2024. Specifically, it stated that those taxed based on the new presumed taxable annual income (equal to 14 times the monthly minimum wage) will have their tax contribution advance halved, calculated on the difference between the presumed taxable income and their declared profits. The reduction was originally set in place last year to smooth the transition following the government’s tax reforms. The ministry has also announced that it is looking into implementing small corrections to the current tax system to correct inequities that were noted last year.

ESCAPADE Exploring the Roman Agora at Athens: A Visitor’s Guide Nestled in the historic heart of Athens, the Roman Agora is an often-overlooked gem, where ancient cultures and architecture meet in a lively urban setting. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,431.19 points on Friday, a decrease of 0.09% from last week. Overall, the benchmark slid by 3.2% in August.”

“Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to lag far behind the European Union average in adopting basic digital technologies to support their businesses. Overall, Greece ranks in the bottom three on this issue (ahead of Bulgaria and Romania).”

“Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis unveiled a new plan to encourage Greek SMEs to proceed with mergers, including several tax benefits. Additionally, the new proposals include a broadening of tax incentives for ‘Angel Investors’ in Greece.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

03/09/202450th anniversary of PASOK: Center-left party PASOK will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the Zappeion Hall. 05/09/2024Acropolis Rally: The grueling Acropolis Rally, part of the World Rally Championship, will run until September 8. 07/09/2024Thessaloniki International Fair: The 88th Thessaloniki International Fair will open, as is customary, with an address by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The PM will set out the government’s economic policy for the following year. 07/09/2024SYRIZA Central Committee: The warring factions of main opposition party SYRIZA are gearing up for a showdown at the meeting of the party’s Central Committee, widely expected to be a volatile affair.

Editor's PickWhat we have, in short, is an ideal political situation – now and quite possibly later. What we also have, however, is the curse of the second term, a curse that has blighted every prime minister in Greece’s recent history.Alexis PapachelasRead the article

PODCAST

29/08/2024 • 11:42Is there an effort afoot to revive the F-35 deal with Turkey?Is there an effort afoot to revive the F-35 deal with Turkey? The issue popped up in a report in the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet and has raised questions about whether this is being seriously considered – despite the issue of the Russian S-400s acquired by Turkey remaining unresolved – or if it is wishful thinking on the part of Ankara. Michael Rubin, the director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Thanos Davelis to look into this latest report and break down why an F-35 reboot for Turkey is a mistake.

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