Stefanos Kasselakis
Στέφανος Κασσελάκης
Kasselakis in 2023
President of Syriza
Assumed office
24 September 2023
Preceded byAlexis Tsipras
Personal details
Born (1988-03-29) 29 March 1988
Marousi, Greece
Political partySyriza
Other political
affiliations		Republican Party (U.S.) (2013–2019)
Spouse
Tyler McBeth
​
(m. 2023)​
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • Politician

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

Early life and education

Kasselakis was born in Marousi in 1988.[1] His family is originally from the village of Skines in Chania.[3] He grew up in Ekali and attended Athens College. At the age of 14 he won the silver medal in the Archimedes math contest of the Greek Mathematical Association. He then received a scholarship to attend the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, US,[4] and he later graduated with a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania,[4][5][6] and a B.Sc in finance from the Wharton School of the same institution.[4][5] 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.[6][7] 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.[6][8]

Politics

He was registered in the electoral rolls of New York as a Republican from 2013 until 2019.[9]

For many years Kasselakis was a columnist for The National Herald, writing "The undergraduate's column" and later on "The Colour of the Market".[10] 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.[11] 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.[12][13]

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".[14][15] 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.[16]

Syriza leadership

On 29 August 2023 Kasselakis declared his candidacy for president of Syriza.[17] In the first round of party elections on 17 September, he finished in first place among five candidates while securing 45% of the vote.[18] On 24 September 2023 he was elected president of Syriza, winning the second round with 56% of the vote over his opponent, Effie Achtsioglou, who received 44%.[2] After winning the leadership election, Kasselakis said that he wanted Syriza to emulate the U.S. Democratic Party and move to the centre-left.[19] In September 2023 Kasselakis commented that "If I hadn't known capitalism from inside, if I hadn't seen the injustice of money, I may had not been a leftist."[20]

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.[21] In November 2023, amidst significant internal unrest and persistent disagreements with Kasselakis' leadership, 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 "alt-right" practices during his time leading Syriza.[22][23] The factional disputes primarily stem from ideological differences and divergent perspectives on party management skills.[24]

Personal life

Kasselakis lived in Miami until early 2023.[25] He is gay[1][26][27] and has been in a civil partnership with Tyler McBeth, an American, since 2019. They were married in a civil ceremony on October 19, 2023, at the City Clerk's Office, Brooklyn.[28] This legal union is not recognized in Greece, as same-sex marriage has not been legalized.[29][30][31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 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. ↑ "Στόχος η επιστροφή στις ρίζες για την οικογένεια Κασσελάκη - Χανιώτικα Νέα" (in Greek). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Stefanos Kasselakis: The Unexpected Rise of a Greek-American Leader in Syriza". greekcitytimes.com. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 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)
  6. 1 2 3 Baboulias, Yiannis (25 September 2023). "How did an ex-banker end up leading Greece's Syriza party?". The Spectator. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bio". SYRIZA. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Steffanos Kasselakis: Who is the businessman that stirs Syriza elections?". Naftemporiki. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Kostis Lympouridis (12 October 2023). "Η σχέση του κ. Κασσελάκη με τους Ρεπουμπλικανούς και την αλήθεια". The President. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Γιάννα Κατσαγεώργη. "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: Ενας σύγχρονος "Μικρός Πρίγκιπας" στον πλανήτη του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ" (PDF). p. 5.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Δημήτρης Τερζής (29 August 2023). "Αλλαγή σκηνικού στον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ". Efimerida ton Syntakton. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: Όταν στήριζε Μητσοτάκη - "Είχα γράψει για αυτόν όταν διεκδικούσε την ηγεσία της ΝΔ"". Proto Thema. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Newsroom, Newsit. "Στέφανος Κασσελάκης: Τι έγραφε το 2015 και τι λέει το 2023 για τον Κυριάκο Μητσοτάκη". NewsIT (in Greek). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "'Golden boy' Stefanos Kasselakis wants to commit to the Greek left". Le Monde. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "'Newcomer' wins first round of Greece's left elections". euractiv. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Smith, Helena (25 September 2023). "Stefanos Kasselakis: ex-banker who lit up Greek politics to lead Syriza". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  20. ↑ Ex-Goldman Sachs trader to lead Greece's leftist Syriza party By Renee Maltezou September 24, 2023
  21. ↑ "Greece's opposition Syriza party splits as several prominent members defect". AP News. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  22. ↑ AP (12 November 2023). "Leftwing faction splits from Greece's main opposition party, Syriza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "Greece's Syriza party splits, rebels form anti-bailout front". Reuters. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  24. ↑ "The Death of the Greek Left: A Political Tragedy". Verso. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  25. ↑ Baboulias, Yiannis (25 September 2023). "How did an ex-banker end up leading Greece's Syriza party?". The Spectator. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  26. ↑ "I am Stephanos, I am self-made and gay". To Pontiki. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ "«Δεν παντρεύτηκα στα Χάμπτονς»: Ο Κασσελάκης αποκάλυψε στους ομογενείς πού έγινε ο γάμος - Η πρώτη εμφάνιση". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 26 November 2023. "I didn't get married in The Hamptons. This is fake news. In Brooklyn I got married, in the City Clerk's Office. The truth is, I don't like the Hamptons at all."
  29. ↑ "Σε κλειστό κύκλο ο πολιτικός γάμος του Κασσελάκη σήμερα- «Γλέντι» το καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 19 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  30. ↑ https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/09/26/stefanos-kasselakis-the-unexpected-rise-of-a-greek-american-leader-in-syriza/. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ "Σε κλειστό κύκλο ο πολιτικός γάμος του Κασσελάκη σήμερα- «Γλέντι» το καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 19 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.