TSIPRAS STAGES POLITICAL COMEBACK IN GREECE! – Former left-wing prime minister launches new party after debt crisis legacy
Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, the leftist firebrand who ran Greece at the height of its debt crisis in 2015, has launched a new political party, promising to fight corruption and to seek inclusive economic growth.
Tsipras, 51, known for his dramatic showdown with Greece’s international lenders over a third and final bailout that almost saw the country kicked out of the euro zone, was ousted by the incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy party in 2019, four years after having been forced to accept the austerity he had campaigned against.
Late on Tuesday (May 26), he unveiled the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) party at the foot of the Acropolis hill in Athens, pledging to restore the rule of law and independence of institutions as he seeks to tap into widespread mistrust of the government over corruption scandals.
Tsipras stepped down as head of the centre-left Syriza party in 2023 following its second heavy election defeat to Mitsotakis’ party. Last year, he also resigned as a parliamentary deputy, a move which led to the fragmentation of Syriza and the formation of new, smaller political parties, with the Socialist PASOK party taking over as the main opposition.
An opinion poll by pollster Interview published this week showed New Democracy still leading at 26.1%, far below the 41% it got in the last election in 2023. Tsipras’ new party ranked second at 12.8%, pushing PASOK into third place.
Analysts say Tsipras’ return is unlikely to directly challenge Mitsotakis, who is suffering losses after the corruption scandals and protests over a 2023 train disaster. But it could redraw a fragmented opposition and complicate Mitsotakis’ efforts to maintain an outright majority by wooing disillusioned voters struggling with rising living costs exacerbated by soaring energy prices.
Parliamentary elections are due in 2027
