SYRIZA in Turmoil: Party Expels Second MEP in a Month

The once-mighty main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, has plunged into a deeper crisis following the expulsion of MEP Nikolaos Farantouris.

The move marks the second high-profile expulsion from the party’s European delegation in just thirty days, further fracturing the party’s influence in Brussels.

Farantouris defies SYRIZA leadership

The decision to remove Farantouris was finalized by SYRIZA President Sokratis Famellos. In an official statement, the party demanded that Farantouris relinquish his European Parliament seat, arguing that he is “obliged to hand over the seat to the party with which he was elected” due to a lack of clear commitment to SYRIZA’s voters.

Farantouris, however, has flatly refused to step down. Speaking on the “Kalimera Ellada” morning show, he struck a defiant tone:

“I didn’t take my seat to join another party, as some of my former colleagues did. SYRIZA chose to cast me out,” Farantouris stated.

The friction reportedly began after Farantouris spoke positively about a potential new political movement led by Maria Karystianou (the prominent advocate for the Tempi train crash victims).

“I simply welcomed the prospect of a private citizen engaging in politics,” Farantouris explained. “In my code of values, there is room for a kind word, even for opponents. Politics should be a confrontation of ideas, not a series of psychological deadlocks.”

A month of chaos: The Nikos Pappas incident

The expulsion of Farantouris follows the shocking dismissal of MEP and former basketball star Nikos Pappas in December.

Pappas was expelled following a violent altercation in Strasbourg that left the Greek journalistic mission in shock. The incident—which reportedly triggered a local police investigation—forced SYRIZA to take immediate disciplinary action, though the fallout has continued to damage the party’s reputation on the international stage.

With the loss of both Pappas and Farantouris from its parliamentary group, SYRIZA faces a reduced presence in the European Parliament.

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