GREECE-ELECTION/TSIPRAS FILE Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras set to become Greek prime minister

Record ID: 837245

  • Title: GREECE-ELECTION/TSIPRAS FILE Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras set to become Greek prime minister
  • Date: 25th January 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (RECENT) (REUTERS) TSIPRAS SITTING AT HIS DESK IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) MAIN OPPOSITION SYRIZA PARTY LEADER ALEXIS TSIPRAS, SAYING: "In the last year Greece was chosen to be the guinea pig of austerity in order to exit the crisis. This was proven to be a failure and catastrophic."
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAA7RER5GRNXCZ5JB09124QUFSJ
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Alex Tsipras, the leader of Greece's far-left Syriza party who has caused an upset in Europe over comments about ending austerity reforms, could become the country's next prime minister.
    From anti-war and anti-austerity demonstrations to meeting with the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund in recent years, 40-year old Tsipras has come a long way from being a member of the communist youth in the 1980s.
    The civil engineering graduate was always active in radical left-wing politics as a high school and university student. He became a member of Synaspismos, a wider radical left-wing coalition which would later be called Syriza.
    He rose through the ranks to become the party's leader in 2008 at the age of 33, the youngest ever leader of a Greek political party, after an upstart campaign for Athens mayor in 2006.
    Before the debt crisis Syriza was a fringe party that polled only about four per cent.
    It was considered too far left and not a serious candidate to govern, unlike the two main parties, the centre-right New Democracy party and the centre-left Pasok party.
    The repercussions of austerity imposed during the debt crisis changed all that. During the 2012 elections, Syriza catapulted into second place, moving the party more into the mainstream.
    In May, Syriza won European parliamentary elections and the local governor's seat for greater Athens, while left-wing European politicians put him forward as a candidate in December 2013 for European Commission President. His supporters include the left-wing Podemos party in Spain and the Italian left.
    Tsipras wants to re-negotiate the current bailout agreement Greece has with the EU and IMF, which is a series of economic reforms that must be implemented each year in return for financial aid, since Greece cannot yet fully borrow on the markets due to its debt crisis.
    Those reforms have included cuts to pensions, wages, jobs, the minimum wage, labour agreements, increased taxes, and cutbacks in the health, education and the culture sectors.
    Unemployment and poverty ballooned, but the cutbacks brought the country back to growth in 2014.
    "In the last year Greece was chosen to be the guinea pig of austerity in order to exit the crisis. This was proven to be a failure and catastrophic," Tsipras told Reuters,
    He wants to bring back state spending and reverse reforms already under way, causing fears it will derail the economy and force the EU to push Greece out of the euro zone.
    EU leaders immediately reacted to Tsipras's plans with warnings that he must stick to the programme, but the leader brushed off concerns about Greece leaving the euro.
    "Europe is not a homeowner that is renting its house to pariah countries. Europe is our common home. And no one can be kicked out of our common home," said Tsipras in reaction to 'Grexit' fears.
    His opponent in the upcoming election, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, has based his campaign on warning voters that Syriza is dangerous for the economy. Tsipras called the comments fear-mongering.
    "This fear-mongering creates a hostile stance in the markets against Greece, because fear-mongering works as a self-fulfilling prophesy. But when the Greek people speak, and Syriza wins the elections, and it is proven that none of this is true, then there will be redemption," he said.
    Syriza wants to bring back a higher minimum wage and at least one bonus for pensioners, all of which were cut during austerity. He also wants to increase spending for health, education and culture, all sectors which also came under the knife.
    Critics have asked where Syriza will find the funds, as Greece borrows to survive. He also wants part of the debt cut, which EU partners such as Germany have already frowned upon.
    Analysts say Tsipras will have to move closer to the centre-left to please both coalition partners and international lenders, even if that disturbs his party base.
    "Syriza is not a mainstream left-wing party. It is not part of the centre-left in Europe, it's not part of the socialist family of parties in Europe. In that sense Syriza is a marginal political party of the radical left that cannot identify with any current, existing government in the European Union. However, there is a huge opportunity for Syriza to start converging towards a more mainstream version of the left and present its option of a viable left-wing government and that would be one that would be able to apply its left-wing policies and at the same time comply with the rules and the standards of the euro zone," said political analyst at the University of Athens Professor George Pagoulatos.
    Greece must complete negotiations with lenders on the next set of reforms to receive the next loan payment.
    The last negotiation was never completed and the loan programme runs out in February, leaving the country short of cash.
    Tsipras says he will complete negotiations with lenders and is confident an agreement can be reached on the reforms, but austerity and loan dependency must end.
    Many inside and outside of Europe have signalled Greece may need an extension of its loan programme if Syriza wins, as negotiations will take longer.
    "The message of the Greek people and Syriza to the people of northern Europe who have had to put their hands in their pockets is that we don't want any more loans. We want a viable solution so we can return what you gave us, not for it to go into a black hole, which unfortunately is where it went, and at the same time to bring Greece back to growth," said Tsipras.
    The young leader is hoping for a majority in parliament to negotiate with lenders from a stronger position, something polls don't currently suggest he has.
    A coalition is the most likely outcome, but there are few other parties sharing his party's left philosophy that are polling the numbers needed to enter parliament.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register