(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, SEP 25 - A little-known former shipping
exec and ex-Goldman Sachs trader on Sunday pulled off one of the
biggest upsets in Greek political history after winning the
leadership of Syriza, the leftist main opposition party.
Stefanos Kasselakis, 35, is a self-styled self-made entrepreneur
who says he wants to promote transparency, boost labour and
social rights, speed up justice and eliminate perks for bankers
and politicians. Picking up over 56 percent of the vote based on
preliminary results, he defeated four other candidates -- three
of them prominent Syriza former ministers -- after a whirlwind
campaign mostly waged on social media. "We want a Greece where
you don't have to hustle to get ahead," Kasselakis said as his
campaign took off this month, vowing to "conquer the Greek
Dream" and create a "modern Left". Kasselakis was born in Athens
but moved to the United States at the age of 14 after winning a
school scholarship. According to his CV, he holds international
studies and economics degrees from the University of
Pennsylvania, speaks five languages, and worked as a volunteer
on then-senator Joe Biden's 2008 White House campaign. He
subsequently worked at Goldman Sachs as a commodities trader
before becoming CEO of UK-based shipowners SwiftBulk Holding.
(ANSA-AFP).
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