Until a few weeks ago, hardly anyone in Greece knew him. Now the former raw materials trader and shipowner Kasselakis, who became a millionaire in the USA, has been elected chairman of the left-wing party Syriza.
A newcomer to politics is the new leader of the Greek left-wing party Syriza: 35-year-old Stefanos Kasselakis has been elected as Alexis Tsipras’ successor. He received 56 percent of the vote, beating, among others, former Labor Minister Effie Achtsioglou.
The internal party election campaign had revealed deep fissures within the largest Greek opposition party. The new party leader was unknown in Greece until a few weeks ago and had never held elected office.
Kasselakis works for Goldman Sachs in the USA
Born in Athens, he went to the USA on a scholarship at the age of 14 and lived in Miami, Florida, until recently. In the USA he worked, among other things, as a raw materials trader for Goldman Sachs before becoming managing director of the ship owner SwiftBulk Holding based in Great Britain. According to Greek media, Kasselakis became a millionaire.
Tsipras announced his resignation as leader of the Syriza party after his party’s significant defeat in Greece’s parliamentary elections in June . Syriza only got 17.83 percent of the vote. The conservative New Democracy party received 40.56 percent of the vote, securing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis an absolute majority.
Source : Tages Schau