The unexpected defection of one of Syriza's leading candidates has sent shockwaves through the ranks of the leftist party.
In a short but nonetheless scathing letter, Nikos Hanias, Syriza's candidate in Corinth, lambasted the party saying its elevation to power "if only for an hour" would be catastrophic "for Greece and our children".
In the explosive letter, sent to the general secretary of the party's central committee, Hanias, a veteran leftist wrote: "It is shameful and dishonourable that by exploiting the justified rage of society, you are gambling with our future, betting on the non-existent possibility that our creditors are bluffing without proposing something if the case is the contrary, especially when you know that your maximalist and surreal positions have no contact with reality."
Closing the missive the leftwing candidate said he could no longer participate in a party that he described as being "extremely dangerous for the Greek people and its future".
Clearly taken aback, Syriza called Hanias's extraordinary move – barely five days before critical elections – "an inexplicable and immoral act that is inappropriate for anyone in politics and more so for an active leftist."
Syriza, a coalition of leftist groups ranging from traditional Marxists to ex-euro communists and socialists, has been split over its economic and foreign policies not least the euro and whether Greece should dump the single currency for the drachma.
Many have accused the party of being "hopelessly contradictory" in its attitude towards Europe. Alexis Tsipras, the party's leader, will attempt to "set the record straight" by allaying fears that Syriza is intent on taking Greece out of the eurozone at a press conference later on Tuesday.
