With an announcement on social media, Theodora Tzakri announced her departure from the party of Stefanos Kasselakis, the Democrats-Progressive Center.
Theodora Tzakri's departure came with barbs against Stefanos Kasselakis, speaking of “red lines” which she did not agree to cross and for this reason she is leaving the party, which she accuses of… leaning to the right.
The post in detail
“In the country's political life, conditions have been formed that blur the political course, the political decisions and actions of very many political figures.
In my own case, this rule cannot apply because for more than 30 years I have served exactly the same principles and values and I oppose anything far-right, right-wing and neoliberal in public life.
When I disagreed or when I agreed with political choices, my personal compass always pointed in the direction of patriotic socialism.
This is also the reason why for 23 years the people of Pella have honored me by electing me as their parliamentary representative.
When we decided with Stefanos Kasselakis, fellow MPs and thousands of members and officials from all over the country to proceed with the creation of a Movement that would save the honor and reputation of the progressive forces from dead-end and immoral party practices, I do not remember us agreeing that this movement effort would evolve into a leader-centric party that would include in the frame of its interlocutors the most far-right and ultra-neoliberal thing post-junta Greece has known, and this is none other than the Mitsotakis regime and its willing servants.
For a long time I attempted to contribute internally so that the cohesion and the moral political bonds among the members of the Movement for Democracy would be maintained, which was subsequently renamed, on the recommendation of its president, to “DEMOCRATS-PROGRESSIVE CENTER”.
But in everything there is a limit.
There are red lines, which, if we agree to overlook them, then we become accomplices in an act of distortion, both of our founding declaration and of the personal political course of each and every one.
I thought a lot before deciding that I cannot march together with Stefanos Kasselakis, however much I want to march together with the thousands of members and friends of the Movement that we founded.
As my political experience allows me and the facts prove to me, I have reached the point of believing that Stefanos Kasselakis legitimizes an obvious right-wing deviation, something that immediately obliges me to resign as Vice President and member of the “DEMOCRATS” and to defend my socialist anti-right identity built over decades.
I want to wish the best to the thousands of members and friends of the party, with whom we shared easy and difficult moments.
My decision has to do with the social demand for complete clarity of positions and views from political figures, as society emits it and not as all kinds of interests dictate it.
I will continue to serve stubbornly the just causes of the people of Pella and the national interest, which is the total rejection of the Mitsotakis model of governance and any opportunistic mutations of it.
I call on everyone to understand what Manos Hadjidakis meant when he said “when you get used to the monster you begin to resemble it” and to make a clear decision within themselves about what struggle we must wage as the progressive world, through a great progressive “WE”.
Because, finally, we will see many things happen and hear many things being said, I publicly submit my own truth and my own commitment in favor of society's demands”.