The 1st Congress of SYRIZA took place in Athens, 10-14 July 2013. Approximately 3500 delegates dealt with the major tasks of formulating the Political Declaration, the Political Resolution and the Statutes of the new party, while evaluating the current situation in a national, European and global level and discussed on the ideological and programmatic features of the transformed SYRIZA and the project of the government of the Left.
The political discussion mostly focused on issues like the Euro and the Eurozone, as well as the possible alliances and political priorities for the formation of the government of the Left.
It is worth mentioning that the proposed Political Resolution text that was submitted to the delegates by the Resolution Committee of the Congress was commonly accepted as the basis of discussion.
The major minority of the party (“Left Platform”) submitted four amendments on the aforementioned key issues. According to the process that was followed, every proposed amendment was supported by two speakers and also confronted by two representatives of the Resolution Committee of the Congress. After vivid disucssions, the Political Resolution was approved by the vast majority of the delegates, while the four proposed amendments submitted by the “Left Platform” were rejected.
Moreover, the 1st Congress of SYRIZA voted on the first Statutes text of the party and, during this discussion, the delegates dealt – among others – with the question of the transformation of SYRIZA into a unified, multi-tendency party, through the transformation of its former components into tendencies, the electoral methodology for the Central Committee and the President.
Concerning the fate of the components, the decision was that those components which have not yet been dissolved, will get an extra period of time, in order to decide through a consultation process. In any case, the new Statute of SYRIZA is binding for all the members of the new party.
As far as electoral methodologies are concerned, the Congress decided that the new Central Committee will consist of 201 members and that the President will be directly elected by the Congress delegates. An important part of the discussion focused on the electoral system for the Central Committee. Despite the willingness of the majority of delegates for an election of the C.C. through a single list, in the end six different lists were presented.
As far as electoral methodologies are concerned, the Congress decided that the new Central Committee will consist of 201 members and that the President will be directly elected by the Congress delegates. An important part of the discussion focused on the electoral system for the Central Committee. Despite the willingness of the majority of delegates for an election of the C.C. through a single list, in the end six different lists were presented.
The official results of the voting process for the President:
Registered delegates: 3430 Casted votes: 3412 Valid votes: 3344 Invalid votes: 68 Blank votes: 688 (20,57%) Alexis Tsipras: 2477 (74,04%) Sissy Vovou: 157 (4,69%) Panos Iliopoulos: 22 (0,6%)
The official results for the Central Committee (201 members):
Registered delegates: 3430 Casted votes: 3413 Valid votes: 3393 Invalid votes: 17 Blank votes: 3
1) United List: 2294 votes / 67,61% / 135 members (45 women) 2) Left Platform: 1023 votes / 30,15% / 60 members (20 women) 3) Non aligned members inside SYRIZA: 35 votes / 1,03% / 2 members (1 woman) 4) Communist Tendency/Platform: 25 votes / 0,74% / 2 members (1 woman) 5) Members’ Intervention: 9 votes / 0,27% / 1 member 6) Intervention for Unity: 7 votes / 0,21% / 0 members
In a press release after the end of the Congress, Alexis Tsipras stated:“The founding Congress of SYRIZA constitutes a big step, a historical landmark for the Greek Left and for democracy. Approximately 3500 delegates from all over Greece sealed the birth of the new political subject. With an open and lively democratic debate. With clear decisions. We made the historical step. From tomorrow, with our new Party, all together, more united and stronger than ever, we begin the big and victorious journey. To stop social destruction and rebuild Greece”.
See more:
- The Political Resolution of the Congress: http://left.gr/news/political-resolution-1st-congress-syriza
- Closing speech by Alexis Tsipras: http://left.gr/news/1st-congress-syriza-speech-alexis-tsipras-july-13
- Foreign delegations' list: http://left.gr/news/syriza-1st-congress-foreign-delegations-list
- Foreign greeting messages: http://left.gr/news/messages-greetings-1st-congress-syriza
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For the complete political resolution of the 1st Congress of SYRIZA go to: http://left.gr/news/political-resolution-1st-congress-syriza#sthash.DXW…
The political resolution of the 1st congress of SYRIZA 05/08/2013 16:34
SYRIZA and the great social and political movement of subversion
1. The Conference of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) is a continuity and a breakthrough in its course, which started in 2000, continued with its official founding in 2004, and was sealed when it took on the historic responsibility to deliver the Greek people from the catastrophic neoliberal memoranda policies that have turned our country into a debt colony and led its creative, social, and productive forces to marginalization.
2. SYRIZA has been established as a unified, democratic, multi-tendency, mass party of the contemporary Left for the strengthening of an already powerful popular movement of subversion with the aim of cancelling the memoranda, erasing most of the debt and implementing a program of social and productive reconstruction. This alternative radical social and political plan - which will express and be based on the alliance between the working and popular classes, on the one hand, and the middle classes of the town and the countryside, on the other, and which will be structured by the needs of and give voice to the large groups of the socially, economically, and educationally excluded – will lead to the Government of the Left and will support it when it is in power. -
See the complete Political Resolution at: http://left.gr/news/political-resolution-1st-congress-syriza#sthash.DXW…
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