ATHENS – Former SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis said he will try to make a comeback to return to the helm of the battered party, weeks after being removed and with candidates lined up against him.

The Greek-American businessman was an unlikely leader, being elected in September 2023 on the back of a whirlwind social media campaign, but was unable to resurrect its fortunes and drew criticism for being divisive and highlighting his gay lifestyle.

SYRIZA, which was the major opposition, has fallen to third and even fifth in recent surveys and is now essentially rudderless until elections on Nov. 24, and possibly a week later if the first round fails to produce an outright winner.

Kasselakis – who was ousted by the party’s central committee after losing a no-confidence motion, went on social media to announce he will run again with a campaign photo and the slogan  “Our SYRIZA,” accompanied by the hashtag “I am here” (#eimaiedw).

That came after former minister Olga Gerovasili, who was close to former leader and one-time premier Alexis Tsipras, said she will join the race. Speaking on Antenna TV, she lashed out at Kasselakis.

“The people of SYRIZA showed great tolerance towards Kasselakis. We must do everything to prevent him from winning again, and I will rally for this cause,” she said.

Gerovasili, known for her close ties to former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, did not disclose her plans if Kasselakis is re-elected as leader of the leftist opposition.

While no other official candidacies have been formally announced, a number of likely challengers are moving into position, led by former deputy health minister Pavlos Polakis, who turned on Kasselakis after supporting him.

Polakis has already tried to elbow aside a growing field of candidates, telling OPEN TV that, “Supporting Kasselakis was a mistake,” and that he was misled by Kasselakis’ youth and hope for new ideas for the troubled party.

“We needed to rebuild SYRIZA after Tsipras’ resignation. I felt that Achtsioglou was not capable of leading SYRIZA’s renewal, and … Kasselakis, being intelligent and a young person not entrenched in the system, had ideas with which I largely agreed. Seeing his appeal to young people, I believed he could lead SYRIZA’s reorganization,” said Polakis.

“He failed in many respects. First and foremost, he didn’t form a political team. Leftist parties aren’t one-man shows, even though a leader is necessary. With Tsipras, there were functioning institutions, but now we have ended up with a deteriorating mechanism,” Polakis also said.

“The excessive focus on his personal life overshadowed many of the good and correct things he said, which were the result of the work of many people,” he added, denouncing criticism that he’s homophobic.