ATHENS, Greece — The leftist party Syriza, which previously held power in Greece, has appointed a new leader following a challenging year marked by internal strife and a decline in popularity. On Sunday, Sokratis Famellos, age 58, emerged as the victor in the leadership election, triumphing over fellow member Pavlos Polakis and two additional candidates. Famellos came close to achieving the necessary majority of 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff, with Polakis yielding defeat after securing approximately 43 percent of the votes.

Syriza has seen a significant decline in its electoral strength over recent years. The party captured more than 35 percent of the vote in the 2015 elections, successfully forming a government in partnership with a populist conservative faction. However, this figure fell to 31 percent in 2019 when the conservative New Democracy party regained control of the government. In the European elections held last June, Syriza’s share of the vote plummeted to just 14 percent. Current opinion polls indicate that support for the party has slipped to single digits, and defections within its ranks have led it to lose its status as the primary opposition party in parliament, a position that has been taken over by the socialist PASOK party.

The turnout for Sunday’s election was relatively low, with just over 70,000 voters participating, which is less than half of the number from the previous election in September 2023. In that contest, Stefanos Kasselakis, a newcomer to politics and businessman who had spent much of his life in the United States, was elected leader. However, Kasselakis faced a vote of no confidence and was removed from his position in September 2024. Following his ousting, he recently announced the formation of his own political party, named the Movement for Democracy.