Alexis Tsipras has led his country through a difficult period, for which I personally want to express my gratitude and respect to him as President of the Party of the European Left.

For us he will always be a pioneer of Cypriot politics and an icon of the European left. Our deepest sympathy lies with his companions, friends and especially with his family.

In particular, I would like to thank our two lead candidates Violeta Tomic and Nico Cue for their determined fight. For the period ahead, we need our own analysis of the election results in Europe and a political debate in the committees of the member parties and in our party. We should also think about a new networking strategy.

Apart from the well-known disagreements, there was also agreement on the fight against poverty in the world.

In the European election campaign, we must try as opposed to right-wing populist and right-wing parties to reach as many votes for the left. Nationalism and racism should not dominate Europe.