Leftist opposition SYRIZA saw its voice in Parliament shrink further on Thursday, following the resignation of three more MPs, leaving the party with 17 seats in the 300-seat House.
Lawmakers Kostas Barka and Kalliopi Vetta announced they were becoming independents, a day after fellow SYRIZA lawmakers Alexandros Meikopoulos, Haris Mamoulakis and Marina Kontotoli took the same step. Earlier, party spokeswoman Popi Tsapanidou had also left the parliamentary group.
Reacting to the latest departures, SYRIZA’s Political Secretariat said lawmakers elected on the party’s ticket who choose “a different political path” should, “for reasons of political integrity and democratic consistency,” relinquish their parliamentary seats.
“Parliamentary seats are not someone’s personal property,” the party leadership said. “They were won through citizens’ trust in SYRIZA, its program and the collective effort of thousands of members and party officials. Anyone who chooses to leave that collective mandate should return the seat they hold thanks to SYRIZA’s ballot.”
Several other SYRIZA lawmakers are also expected to leave the parliamentary group in the days ahead, as the party gears up for a leadership vote following the recent resignation of Sokratis Famellos.
