Stefanos Kasselakis has been elected President of the Movement for Democracy, a new progressive political party in Greece, with 96.84% of the vote. The news comes as no surprise, as Kasselakis announced the formation of the party in late November, after his ousting from SYRIZA.
In his first speech to the party’s National Council, Kasselakis stressed that the party is not driven by bureaucracy or personal ambition but by a commitment to democracy, equality, and honest governance. “I’m not like them. I didn’t become like them,” he said, in a pointed reference to Greece’s political establishment.
Kasselakis, a former SYRIZA leader and businessman, entered politics in 2023. Born in Athens and raised in the U.S., he studied at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and worked at Goldman Sachs before launching a career in shipping. He has gained attention in Greece for being openly gay and for advocating a modern, inclusive political platform.
In his speech, he called for the abolition of Article 86 of the Greek Constitution, which shields ministers from prosecution, stating that politicians should not be above the law. Referring to the 2023 Tempi train crash that killed 57 people, he criticized the official investigation for failing to charge those responsible, including, he claimed, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
On foreign policy, Kasselakis positioned Greece as a defender of liberal democracy in Europe. He argued that if the EU wants greater control over the Bosphorus Straits, it should support Greece’s right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles. He also called for universal basic income, participatory capitalism, and the regulation of tech monopolies.
Framing the moment as a battle between “the Greece of corruption and the Greece of creation,” he urged citizens to join a new “contract of truth” to build trustworthy government. Kasselakis proposed a vision of a “Smart State,” using digital tools and well-paid public servants to eliminate bureaucracy and reduce delays in government services. He emphasized that ending waste in public spending could save up to 2% of GDP.
Kasselakis also addressed Greece’s demographic and housing crises, saying that the private sector alone cannot solve them. He proposed targeted public investment to unlock the potential of more citizens while managing the country’s finances with fiscal prudence. He said Greece can reduce its national debt to below 100% of GDP within a decade, without sacrificing essential public services like health, education, and safety.
He concluded by appointing Dr. Konstantinos Kalafatakis, a physician and researcher, as the party’s secretary. Kasselakis’s strong internal mandate signals growing support for his platform, though the bigger test will come in future national elections.
