ATHENS – A former deputy prime minister, economy minister and founding member of the major opposition SYRIZA has left the leftists and blaming its new leader for taking the party away from its roots.

Yannis Dragasakis, 76, resigned with a statement criticizing Greek-American party chief Stefanos Kasselakis, who has been struggling to resurrect its fading fortunes, taking over from former premier Alexis Tsipras, who quit in 2023 after losing for a second time to Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“Kasselakis inherited a left-wing party with problems and he is now creating many more problems without a left-wing party, as SYRIZA has entered a process of de-leftification,” said Dragasakis.

“SYRIZA, under the current leadership, cannot resolve the issues around its identity, strategy and democratic operation that have plagued the party even prior (to Kasselakis.) “It will, for this reason, be caught up in a prolonged crisis,” he said.

He is the latest to leave the party after a number of dissidents broke away to form the New Left, which hasn’t been able to gain any traction with voters, Greece’s splintered left giving an open playing field to the Conservatives.

SYRIZA’s response simply stated about his departure that, “This time Dragasakis did not raise the issue of leadership as he had indicated months ago,” but another sign the party is further fractured.