Sokratis Famellos has resigned from the helm of Greece's left-wing SYRIZA party, opening the door to a leadership contest as the party grapples with internal divisions and mounting questions over its future.
Mr. Famellos said he was stepping down at a critical juncture for the broader center-left, having taken over SYRIZA during what he described as its most difficult period.
He said he was proud of his efforts to rebuild the party's credibility, strengthen its presence in Parliament and improve its finances during his tenure.
Mr. Famellos criticized ongoing divisions within the left and said he could not support what he characterized as a different political direction being pursued within the party.
He said he intends to remain a SYRIZA lawmaker and party member despite stepping down from the leadership.
The resignation adds to a prolonged period of fragmentation on Greece's left. SYRIZA has struggled to regain its footing since a 2023 split produced the breakaway New Left party, and more recently faced renewed pressure following the launch of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's new party, the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS).
A recent poll by Interview for Political newspaper found SYRIZA's support collapsing to just 0.7%, while Mr. Tsipras's ELAS registered 17.4%, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing whoever succeeds Mr. Famellos.
SYRIZA has not yet announced a timeline for selecting new leadership.
The party's ability to reunite its base — split between competing left-wing factions and eroded by defections — is expected to be a central question as Greece heads toward parliamentary elections, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said will take place in 2027.