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The main players in the war within the SYRIZA party are slowly beginning to put their cards on the table. The first sign came from the camp of the Left Platform where Panagiotis Lafazanis made the decision to "cross the Rubicon" by announcing the establishment of a new political organization.

President of parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou took the baton and directly attacked the government, taking advantage of her post while former Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis was waiting for the right moment for action.

The three factors of the split have rich and very different backgrounds but their obvious personal political aspirations unite them. Nevertheless, each of them has his or her own agenda and they cannot co-exist. Almost certainly, they will not be included in SYRIZA tickets in the next elections.

The text that led to the final split

Lafazanis divorced SYRIZA having announced the creation of a new party for which the euro would not be a fetish. A text signed by Lafazanis himself who opposed the new memorandum, as well as by 12 representatives of the Left Platform, formalized the final rift.

 "The fight against the new memorandum is just beginning with the mobilization of people in every corner of the country. Winning this fight requires a direct organization of people at all levels and in all public spaces. We call for the creation of a wide Pan-Hellenic movement, for the creation of commissions to combat the new memorandum, austerity and the control over the country, a movement that will justify the expectations of people for democracy and social justice," reads the statement.

Panagiotis Lafazanis has the support of about 25 MPs who voted three times against the agreements with creditors. Apparently, he has already started the pre-election preparations and is mobilizing his forces throughout Greece. Representatives of the Left Platform and former ministers such as Kostas Isichos and Dimitris Stratoulis have already delivered public pre-election speeches in the country.

In parallel, Lafazanis appears to be negotiating with representatives of the non-parliamentary and very fragmented left, such as Antarsia. Reportedly, he is possibly collaborating with Alekos Alavanos. According to government sources, his actions are indicative of his decision to separate his path from that of SYRIZA and the government, which he has taken long ago.

Ace in her sleeve

Zoe Konstantopoulou is following a path similar to that of the Left Platform, she has voted against the measures in parliament and is moving in parallel with Panagiotis Lafazanis. Her inclusion in the ranks of the Left Platform may seem to be the only ace in her sleeve but insiders know that her relationships with the movement are anything but good.

The president of parliament has preferred to follow the path of division without anyone’s support. The government has long been aware of her political games in parliament.

Alexis Tsipras who chose, imposed and supported her as president of parliament did not respond to her attacks. According to government sources, until the last minute Konstantopoulou insisted on having the right to vote against the agreement without being associated with the Left Platform. Her goal is to stay in SYRIZA, create her own centre and play her own game after some time, in the post-Tsipras era.

And while last week Efklidis Tsakalotos and George Stathakis were fighting with creditors and Tsipras was trying to drive MPs to vote on the agreement in time Zoe Konstantopoulou was untroubled on holiday on Alonissos. Together with her husband, she was at the Atrium Hotel and the Prime Minister was trying in vain to talk to her on the phone while she was bathing in the sea.

According to the newspaper Ethnos, when the chairwoman of parliament became aware of the publications about her carefree vacation she accused aloud the hotel management of "betraying" her and insisted on preventing information on her stay there from leaking to the media.

Zoe Konstantopoulou wrote in parliament the epilogue of her divorce with SYRIZA, doing everything possible to delay the vote on the agreement.

Holding his ground

Immediately after the referendum it turned out that Yanis Varoufakis was moving in a different orbit. Those who are familiar with the government affairs say he had his own point of view on the government actions following the outcome of the referendum. He aimed at following the hard line of the decisive "No".

Although Tsipras and other ministers had stressed that there was no such possibility and that the commitment of the Prime Minister to continue the negotiations would be met, the former Minister of Finance held the same ground. It is known what happened afterwards - Varoufakis resigned and remained a deputy. Those who are close to him claim that the professor of game theory has come to stay on the political stage.

He is not planning to return to the university audience. Yanis Varoufakis knows very well that outside SYRIZA he will become a regular commentator and observer of events overnight and will gradually remain in the periphery.

He seems to have considered that the agreement is not sustainable and the government will be in a deadlock. Varoufakis predicts the failure of the programme, seeing himself triumphantly returning on a white horse.