Athens (Greece), 27 May (LaPresse/AP) – Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the anti-austerity leader who lashed out at Brussels during the debt crisis, has launched a new left-wing political party, the Alliance of the Greek Left, to the cheers of supporters at an open-air event at the foot of the Acropolis. “We cannot stand by and watch as society suffocates,” said Tsipras, arguing that the centre-right government’s pro-business agenda has exacerbated income inequality. “We do not want to get used to a world of war and injustice,” he said. At 51, Tsipras is returning after a three-year absence from active politics. He came to power in 2015 with the promise of ending the harsh austerity measures demanded by Greece’s European creditors and the International Monetary Fund. The standoff rattled global markets as Greece came close to the risk of leaving the euro. Athens eventually accepted new loans and further austerity measures. Tsipras now hopes to win over support, and potentially MPs, from rival opposition parties as he seeks to challenge the conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his bid for a third term.
Greece: Tsipras returns to the political scene and launches a new party
Athens (Greece), 27 May (LaPresse/AP) – Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the anti-austerity leader who lashed out at Brussels during the debt crisis, has launched a new left-wing political party, the Alliance of the Greek Left, to the cheers of supporters at an open-air event at the foot of the Acropolis. “We cannot stand by and watch as society suffocates,” said Tsipras, arguing that the centre-right government’s pro-business agenda has exacerbated income inequality. “We do not want to get used to a world of war and injustice,” he said. At 51, Tsipras is returning after a three-year absence from active politics. He came to power in 2015 with the promise of ending the harsh austerity measures demanded by Greece’s European creditors and the International Monetary Fund. The standoff rattled global markets as Greece came close to the risk of leaving the euro. Athens eventually accepted new loans and further austerity measures. Tsipras now hopes to win over support, and potentially MPs, from rival opposition parties as he seeks to challenge the conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his bid for a third term.
