Stefanos Kasselakis

Stefanos Kasselakis (born 29 March 1988^[1]) is a Greek businessman, entrepreneur and politician, who is currently serving as the leader of Syriza.^[2]

Stefanos Kasselakis
Στέφανος Κασσελάκης
Kasselakis in 2023
President of Syriza
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 September 2023
Preceded by	Alexis Tsipras
Personal details
Born	(1988-03-29) 29 March 1988 (age 35) Marousi, Greece
Political party	Syriza (2023–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican Party (U.S.) (2013–2019)
Spouse	Tyler McBeth ​ (m. 2023)​
Education	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Businessman Politician

Kasselakis spent a considerable portion of his life residing in the US, where he worked in the banking and shipping sectors and contributed as a writer for the National Herald. In the 2023 Syriza leadership election, he secured a surprising victory over Effie Achtsioglou. However, a few months after his win, Syriza underwent a division, resulting in the departure of 11 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 3 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who exited the party in protest of Kasselakis' ideology and practices.^[3][4][5][6]

Early life and education

Kasselakis was born in Marousi in 1988.^[1] His family is originally from the village of Skines in Chania.^[7] He grew up in Ekali and attended Athens College.^[8] He received a scholarship to attend the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, US,^[9] and he later graduated with a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania,^[9][10][11] and a B.Sc in finance from the Wharton School of the same institution.^[9][10] While he was a student he volunteered for Joe Biden's campaign during the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.^[1]

In 2009, he worked at the back-office "risk management department" of Goldman Sachs.^[11][12] He also worked at the think tank of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. and later founded Swift Bulk shipping company.^[11][13]

Politics

For many years Kasselakis worked a columnist for The National Herald, writing "The undergraduate's column" and later on "The Colour of the Market".^[14] Using the pen name "Aristotelis Oikonomou", he advocated in 2007 the adoption of supply-side reforms aligned with Ronald Reagan's economic theory and New Democracy's reform allowing the opening of private universities in Greece. In 2012, during the Greek economic crisis, he criticized the number of public sector layoffs handled by then minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as very low and supported the reduction of the minimum wage.^[15] In September 2015 he criticized then prime minister Alexis Tsipras, comparing him with Donald Trump and writing that he lacks sufficient experience and criticizing him for appointing Yannis Varoufakis as a minister.^[16][17]

In 2023, Kasselakis stated that from 2012 he "had developed an excellent rapport with Kyriakos Mitsotakis" and that he "penned an endorsement for him in the National Herald while he was competing for the party leadership" and still has "a lot of respect for him personally".^[18][19] He later justified his stance, saying that he had supported Mitsotakis because he had some progressive ideas and because he was running against Adonis Georgiadis.^[20]

Syriza leadership

On 29 August 2023 Kasselakis declared his candidacy for the leadership of Syriza.^[21] In the first round of party elections on 17 September, he finished in first place among five candidates while securing 45% of the vote.^[22] On 24 September 2023 he was elected new leader of Syriza, winning the second round with 56% of the vote over his opponent, Effie Achtsioglou, who received 44%.^[2] After winning the election, Kasselakis expressed the desire to emulate the U.S. Democratic Party and move to the centre-left^[23] arguing that Syriza must represent the patriotic left.^[24]

From the beginning of his tenure, Kasselakis' leadership has faced extensive criticism, particularly from left-leaning factions within Syriza, notably the Umbrella group led by former Minister of Finance Euclid Tsakalotos.^[25] In November 2023, amidst significant internal unrest and persistent disagreements, several Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) publicly announced their departure from the party, expressing open criticism of Kasselakis. He has been accused of "right-wing populism" and authoritarian practices during his time leading Syriza.^[6][26] The factional disputes primarily stemmed from ideological differences and divergent perspectives on party management skills.^[27]

On November 23, 2023, a significant development occurred as 9 Members of Parliament (MPs), 1 Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and 57 central committee members declared their departure from the political party in protest of Kasselakis' leadership.^[5] Notable figures among them included Effi Achtsioglou along with other former ministers. Additionally, on December 4, previously resigned MPs Euclid Tsakalotos and Peti Perka joined forces with the 9 MPs to announce the establishment of a new political entity called "New Left" (Nea Aristera).^[28] In response, Kasselakis strongly criticized the newly formed party, urging the departing MPs to relinquish their positions to facilitate the appointment of replacement MPs.^[29]

Journalists and politicians have proclaimed this series of resignations as the end of Syriza in its present form, attributing it to a schism initiated by Kasselakis in his role as the new party leader. This is largely attributed to his ideological ambiguity and questionable practices.^{[4][30][31][27][3]}

Affiliation with the Republican Party

In October 2023, controversy erupted when the Greek newspaper Estia published an article presenting evidence from New York voter records indicating that Kasselakis was a registered Republican voter. The story gained traction in other media outlets, prompting a response from Kasselakis, who vehemently denied the allegations.^[32] He characterized the newspaper as "far-right guns" and asserted that the entire story was fabricated.^[33]

Personal life

Kasselakis lived in Miami until early 2023.^[34] He is openly gay^[1][35][36] and has been in a civil partnership with Tyler McBeth, an American, since 2019. His marriage was held In New York City on 19 October 2023.^[37]

References

1. Smith, Helena (25 September 2023). "Stefanos Kasselakis: ex-banker who lit up Greek politics to lead Syriza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
2. Fallon, Katy (25 September 2023). "Kasselakis, a political unknown and ex-banker, wins race to lead Greek left". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
3. Aza, Francisco Peregil, Hibai Arbide (4 December 2023). "Syriza in free fall: The great party of the Greek left collapses". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 10 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. Newsroom (24 November 2023). "Ex-SYRIZA MP says Kasselakis embraces 'neoliberal' views, operates 'undemocratically' | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
5. "Greek leftist Syriza party suffers wave of resignations". www.ft.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
6. "Greece's main opposition party cracks up some more". POLITICO. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
7. "Στόχος η επιστροφή στις ρίζες για την οικογένεια Κασσελάκη - Χανιώτικα Νέα" (in Greek). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
8. IEFIMERIDA.GR, NEWSROOM (20 September 2023). "Συμμαθητής του Κασσελάκη μιλά για τα χρόνια στο Κολλέγιο: Του έκαναν bullying, προστάτευε τους μικρότερους". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
9. "Stefanos Kasselakis: The Unexpected Rise of a Greek-American Leader in Syriza". greekcitytimes.com. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
10. gafoundation1 (9 December 2020). "Forty Under 40: Class of 2014". Greek America Foundation. Retrieved 2 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. Baboulias, Yiannis (25 September 2023). "How did an ex-banker end up leading Greece's Syriza party?". The Spectator. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
12. "Bio". SYRIZA. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
13. "Steffanos Kasselakis: Who is the businessman that stirs Syriza elections?". Naftemporiki. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
14. Γιάννα Κατσαγεώργη. "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: Ενας σύγχρονος "Μικρός Πρίγκιπας" στον πλανήτη του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ" (PDF). p. 5.
15. Δημήτρης Ψαρράς (21 October 2023). "Ο Στέφανος Κασσελάκης με τα δικά του λόγια" [Stefanos Kasselakis in his own words]. I Efimerida ton Syntakton (in Greek). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
16. Εμμανουήλ Δετοράκης (30 August 2023). "Τι (δεν) ξέρουμε για τον "ινσταγκραμικό" υποψήφιο Κασσελάκη- Η οικονομική καταστροφή του πατέρα του και η κουμπαριά με Πολάκη". The TOC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
17. Δημήτρης Τερζής (29 August 2023). "Αλλαγή σκηνικού στον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ". Efimerida ton Syntakton. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
18. . Proto Thema. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
19. Stefanos Kasselakis (14 July 2023). "Will the real Greek Dems please stand up?". eKathimerini.com. Retrieved 18 September 2023. I had developed an excellent rapport with Kyriakos Mitsotakis while he was an MP, then a cabinet minister, and finally the head of the New Democracy party. In fact, I penned an endorsement for him in the National Herald while he was competing for the party leadership. I had – and still have – a lot of respect for him personally.
20. Newsroom, Newsit. "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: Τι έγραφε το 2015 και τι λέει το 2023 για τον Κυριάκο Μητσοτάκη". NewsIT (in Greek). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
21. "'Golden boy' Stefanos Kasselakis wants to commit to the Greek left". Le Monde. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
22. "'Newcomer' wins first round of Greece's left elections". euractiv. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
23. Smith, Helena (25 September 2023). "Stefanos Kasselakis: ex-banker who lit up Greek politics to lead Syriza". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
24. Newsroom (17 September 2023). "Stefanos Kasselakis: for a modern patriotic governing left | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
25. "Greece's opposition Syriza party splits as several prominent members defect". AP News. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
26. AP (12 November 2023). "Leftwing faction splits from Greece's main opposition party, Syriza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
27. "The Death of the Greek Left: A Political Tragedy". Verso. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
28. Newsroom (4 December 2023). "11 MPs who left SYRIZA unveil party name | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
29. Newsroom (30 November 2023). "Επίθεση Κασσελάκη στην Κ.Ο. των 11 – «Οφειλαν να παραδώσουν τις έδρες τους»". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
30. "Syriza's bad Sunday: Greece's main opposition cracks up". POLITICO. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
31. Kitsantonis, Niki (10 November 2023). "He's Gone From Miami, to Celebrity, to Upending Greek Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
32. "Απάντηση του Στ. Κασσελάκη σε δημοσίευμα που τον εμφανίζει ως μέλος του Ρεπουμπλικανικού κόμματος στις ΗΠΑ". ΕΦΣΥΝ (in Greek). 8 October 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
33. NEWSROOM (8 October 2023). "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: "Fake news ότι ήμουν με τους Ρεπουμπλικάνους"". News 24/7 (in Greek). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
34. Baboulias, Yiannis (25 September 2023). "How did an ex-banker end up leading Greece's Syriza party?". The Spectator. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
35. "I am Stephanos, I am self-made and gay". To Pontiki. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
36. Kitsantonis, Niki (10 November 2023). "He's Gone From Miami, to Celebrity, to Upending Greek Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
37. "Σε κλειστό κύκλο ο πολιτικός γάμος του Κασσελάκη σήμερα- «Γλέντι» το καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 19 October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

Further reading

• Kitsantonis, Niki (10 November 2023). "He's Gone From Miami, to Celebrity, to Upending Greek Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2023.