A Greek-American, Stefanos Kasselakis, seems to be lining up prospects to successfully vie for the leadership of SYRIZA, as becomes clear from a series of (positive) articles in the Athenian press. He is expected to announce his intentions on August 29.

Kasselakis is known to the readers of the National Herald, both through his contributions to the newspaper’s columns and from a recent interview he granted to the ‘Periodiko’ weekly magazine insert of our Greek edition.

He is young, dynamic, articulate, with an excellent education – Phillips Academy, University of Pennsylvania – and with experience at Goldman Sachs and as a founder of a shipping company. And all of this before the age of only 35.

Therefore, Kasselakis stands out from the other candidates. He possesses precisely those qualifications that neither Tsipras nor the previous candidates for the presidency of SYRIZA possess.

The potential candidacy – if it is ultimately put forward – of a Diaspora Hellene for the leadership of a major party in Greece constitutes a positive development in Greece-Diaspora relations.

In general, the involvement of members of the Diaspora in Greece’s political life, beyond being a natural evolution, aligns with Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ significant contribution to facilitating Diaspora voting in elections.

The impacts of the participation of Hellenes abroad in Greece’s political life will be extremely positive for the country and the Diaspora. It will bring us even closer, providing us with an even stronger sense of unity. It will add another generally positive perspective to Greece’s political processes.

We wish him every success.