Greece’s fragmented political landscape is on edge amid growing signs that former prime minister Alexis Tsipras is preparing a dramatic return to frontline politics.
Tsipras, who governed during the height of Greece’s financial crisis, fuelled speculation last week with the release of his memoir Ithaca, in which he offers his account of the turbulent period that reshaped the country’s modern political history.
Presenting the book on Thursday, he called for “a major political Big Bang” that would “radically rearrange current political relations.” His resignation from parliament in October intensified rumours that he may launch a new political movement.
He argues that the current left-wing opposition is too divided to mount an effective challenge to the ruling conservative New Democracy, in power since 2019.
The numbers reinforce that view: PASOK’s socialists polls at around 11,7%, Tsipras’ former party Syriza has collapsed to 6,2%, Course of Freedom stands at 8%, and several smaller left parties remain below the 3% threshold required to enter parliament.
A letter from Athens: Will Alexis Tsipras rise again?
ATHENS – The prospect of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras returning to Greek politics in…
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Tsipras’ remarks have unsettled both allies and rivals. The centre-left parties in particular fear that a Tsipras comeback – under a new party – would siphon off their voters and make it harder for them to compete.
PASOK accused him of “rebranding the great deception of the Greek people,” while ruling New Democracy slammed what it called his “arrogance.” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis quipped: “Would you get on a ship that the captain once sent onto the rocks?”
Analysts in Athens say the 2027 elections are unlikely to produce a single-party government, making coalition building inevitable. A Tsipras comeback, they warn, could significantly reshape the political landscape and the balance of power on the centre-left.
(cs)