Rebels Within SYRIZA Form New Group in Greek Parliament
Rebel MPs from the main ruling SYRIZA party have broken away to form a new group in the Greek Parliament.
According to a parliament deputy speaker, the new group will have 25 members, daily Kathimerini reports.
The new group will bear the name “Popular Unity” and will be headed by former Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis.
Lafazanis, who is the leader of the far-left faction within SYRIZA, has been one of the most vocal critics of the third bailout programme agreed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The mounting dissent within SYRIZA, which has diminished the parliamentary support for the government, forced Tsipras to announce hi resignation and call for the holding of early elections.
The new group will be the third largest in the Greek Parliament, having more members than the centrist To Potami and the far-right Golden Dawn, which each have 17 MPs.