Former Greek PM Alexis Tsipras has returned to frontline politics, unveiling a new party, the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), which he described as a “compass for a new Greece” and a “new patriotism inextricably linked to social justice.”
Speaking before thousands of supporters in Athens with the Acropolis as a backdrop, the former SYRIZA leader said the party marked “the beginning of a new collective effort to create a broad progressive alliance” ahead of Greece’s next general election.
Tsipras said ELAS represented the convergence of “the three historic currents” of the modern left, “the radical left, social democracy and political ecology,” and described it as “the governing left of the new era.”
The 51-year-old outlined seven core principles for the party, including dignity, democracy, economic strength, fair development, a strong welfare state, digital sovereignty and a Greece that builds “bridges of peace.”
During his address, Tsipras sharply criticised the governing New Democracy and opposition PASOK, claiming the Greek state had “fallen into the hands of a caste that treats it as spoils” and describing the two parties as “the system within the system.”
He argued Greece was “steadily regressing” and pointed to issues including wiretapping, corruption, the Tempe rail disaster controversy, alleged institutional manipulation and the OPEKEPE farm subsidies scandal.
The launch comes amid significant realignment on Greece’s left and centre-left, with ELAS expected to attract members from both SYRIZA and New Left.
Tsipras led SYRIZA to power in 2015 during Greece’s financial crisis before losing office to Kyriakos Mitsotakis and New Democracy in 2019. He resigned as SYRIZA leader following the party’s poor performance at the 2023 national election.
Source: Ekathimerini.
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