Stefanos Kasselakis was virtually unknown in Greece just six months ago when he was a no-chance election candidate with Syriza, the country’s main opposition party. Improbably, he is now the leader of Syriza, having essentially come out of nowhere to defeat a former minister for the top role a month ago. But his leadership has sent the leftist party into a tailspin, and is expected to result in one influential faction breaking away at a top-level party meeting this weekend. It has also signaled both a reorganization of leftist politics in Greece and, some analysts say, a shift in the style of the country’s politics to rely more on appearances and less on substance. “His election is the product of the rightward drift of the previous leadership,” said Seraphim Seferiades, a professor of politics and history at Panteion University in Athens, who pointed to a similar trend across Europe and beyond where the left has strayed from some of its core principles to gain broader appeal.

---

Persons: Stefanos Kasselakis, Goldman Sachs, Syriza, “, ”, Seraphim Seferiades Organizations: Syriza, Panteion University Locations: Greece, Athens, Europe