The Political Secretariat is meeting today, Friday, at 11:00 a.m. to finalize, among other things, the date on which the candidates for the primary elections will be announced to select 35 of the 42 candidates for the European Parliament SYRIZA– Progressive Alliance.
Two seats are automatically filled by the current Members of the European Parliament, Elena Kountoura and Kostas Arvanitis, while five of his personal choices will remain Stefanos Kasselakis which will be announced—in part for political effect—as we get closer to the European elections on the 9thof June.
Sources at Koumoundourou, however, link the president’s decisions to the possible need to fully meet the 50-50 quota for men and women, as well as ensuring representation of all social and professional groups on the European election ticket.
Hybrid voting; open to SYRIZA supporters as well
The Executive Board, which met yesterday, also agreed on a format for conducting the primary elections, which will most likely be held in a hybrid format, that is, including electronic voting, and it is possible that supporters—not just members—will also be able to vote.
It should be noted that the primary elections will be «divided» into regions so that, for example, candidates residing in Attica will be elected solely by the residents of that specific region, with the corresponding quota, of course, based on the population of each region.
There are approximately 400 candidates
According to CNN Greece, following a review of the résumés that have been submitted—based on criteria such as their professionalism and credibility, as well as a clean criminal record—which is still ongoing, there will be approximately 400 candidates when the list is announced next week.
It is worth noting that a short extension was required—according to the original plan, the announcement was to be made today—so that Mr. Kasselakis, due to his military service, to have more time to review and evaluate them.
Koumoundourou's assessment of the polls
Meanwhile, at Koumoundourou, they are expecting a new wave of polls in the coming days that will cement their second-place position and also show a further decline in New Democracy’s support.
