ATHENS – Six weeks after he was ejected from SYRIZA’s Parliamentary group – but not the party – for verbal attacks on a Health Ministry aide, firebrand lawmaker Pavlos Polakis was brought back into the fold.

Polakis, known for attacking colleagues and rivals alike and defying anyone to stop him, said when he was ousted that there should be a leadership challenge to party chief Stefanos Kasselakis – and that he might go up against him.

It wasn’t said say why Polakis was brought back, although he has a big following in the party and his constituency on Crete, or whether that would mute a contest to try to bring down Kasselakis, who’s still facing criticism from dissidents.

The news came as a survey showed the major opposition SYRIZA had fallen to only 8.5 percent in popularity in a survey, falling behind the equally troubled PASOK Socialists, whose chief Nikos Androulakis is facing an election contest.

The news of Polakis’ comeback – again after repeated attacks on almost anyone around him that had created the term “Polakism” for its fiery style – was delivered by new Parliamentary group leader Nikos Pappas, taking over a prominent role in the party despite having been convicted of a scheme to sell TV licenses.

Polakis had been expelled from the group – but not the party – after an outburst against an aide to New Democracy Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis during a debate in Parliament that was denounced by SYRIZA lawmaker Athina Linou.

Polakis responded later by accusing her of not being transparent about her role in a medical non-governmental organization, which to her being tossed out of the parliamentary group to which he has now been readmitted.