Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς / Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás (SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance)

SYRIZA is Greece’s main left-wing party and former governing coalition, which led the country from January 2015 to July 2019 under Alexis Tsipras before losing power to New Democracy. After a severe electoral defeat in June 2023, receiving 17.84 percent and 48 seats, the party has undergone significant internal turbulence: a leadership change brought in political newcomer Stefanos Kasselakis in late 2023, whose tenure was itself brief and divisive, before Sokratis Famellos was elected leader in November 2024. Internal splits produced the New Left parliamentary group in late 2023, and SYRIZA subsequently lost its status as main opposition party to PASOK in November 2024. The party now operates in a structurally weakened position on the left, seeking to rebuild credibility after its period in government left a contested legacy on both economic and institutional grounds.

Disinformation and alternative media

SYRIZA in government (2015–2019) developed a strong digital and social media operation, and in opposition has continued to invest in online channels, including significant use of platforms like TikTok during the Kasselakis period. Research on the Greek media environment does not identify SYRIZA as a systematic producer of disinformation; its communications focus on policy critique, anti-corruption framing and counter-narratives to ND government messaging. The party’s aligned outlets, including Avgi (the party newspaper, whose daily edition was suspended in June 2024) and some digital networks, operate without evidence of coordinated false-information campaigns. Disinformation/alternative media DMI risk is low.

Foreign influence and external alignments

SYRIZA is pro-European and supports EU membership and Greece’s NATO commitments, though its left-wing orientation produces more critical stances on Western military interventions and greater sympathy for multilateral negotiation. No substantive evidence of hostile-state financial influence appears in records through 2025. The party’s funding is based on public subsidies, MP contributions and membership fees, with documented private financing of approximately €1.57 million in 2022 primarily from member and MP contributions. Foreign influence DMI risk is low.

Media capture, advertising and public service media

SYRIZA’s record in government on media is its most significant institutional integrity vulnerability. In 2016 the SYRIZA government, through then-Minister of State Nikos Pappas, conducted a television licensing auction that reduced national broadcast licences from eight to four, bypassing the independent broadcast regulator ESR and granting the minister direct control over the process. In October 2016 the Council of State struck down the licensing law as unconstitutional, ruling that it violated Article 15 of the Constitution by assigning regulatory authority to the executive. In February 2023 a Special Court convicted Pappas of breach of duty over his handling of the tender, sentencing him to two years suspended, with judges describing the process as “an attempt to gain political influence over television media.” The party also benefited from the alignment of the Savvidis-owned Dimera group (Open TV, ethnos.gr) during this period. In opposition, SYRIZA has no institutional leverage over PSB and has advocated for media independence, though the Pappas conviction remains a substantial mark against its record. Media capture, advertising and PSB-control DMI risk is moderate.

Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity

SYRIZA’s most significant litigation exposure involves the Novartis affair: the SYRIZA government brought files naming ten prominent ND and PASOK politicians to Parliament in 2018, framing the case as a major corruption scandal. By 2021–2022 Greek prosecutors had cleared all named politicians of wrongdoing for lack of evidence, and in 2023–2025 new proceedings were opened examining whether SYRIZA officials had manipulated the investigation — including potentially pressuring protected witnesses — for political advantage ahead of elections. Two former protected witnesses were placed on trial for perjury in 2024, with former ND ministers testifying that the case had been politically engineered. The Novartis affair, which began as a genuine corporate bribery scandal confirmed by a US DOJ settlement, became a significant source of reputational damage for SYRIZA’s claim to be an anti-corruption force. Party financing is within the regulated framework and no major party-finance violations are on record. DMI corruption and institutional integrity risk is moderate.

Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media

SYRIZA has been a vocal critic of the Predator surveillance scandal and press freedom deterioration under ND, and its political communications have consistently supported independent journalism and opposed media concentration. In government the party had a more ambiguous record — the licensing controversy in particular raised concerns about executive overreach into the media market — but SYRIZA did not engage in patterns of harassment or legal intimidation of journalists during its time in power. In opposition its stance on press freedom has been consistent and supportive of reform. Press freedom and harassment DMI risk is low.

Dimension	Risk level	Short justification
Disinformation & alternative media	Low	Digital-first communication focused on policy critique; no coordinated disinformation network identified; Avgi suspended; opposition communications broadly factual.
Foreign influence & external alignments	Low	Pro-EU and NATO; no hostile-state ties in available records; funding within regulated framework dominated by public subsidies and member contributions.
Media capture & advertising / PSB control	Moderate	2016 TV-licence law struck down as unconstitutional; Pappas convicted (suspended) for breach of duty; court described process as seeking political media control; legacy of overreach persists.
Corruption & institutional integrity risk	Moderate	Novartis affair backfired: cleared politicians, perjury cases opened against former witnesses; raises concerns about manipulation of prosecutorial processes for political ends.
Press freedom & harassment of media	Low	Consistent press freedom advocacy in opposition; government-era licensing overreach remains a mark against record but no journalist harassment pattern identified.