The radical leftist party Syriza, tipped to win next month's early election in Greece, is a coalition of leftist groups who oppose austerity and privatisations and want to renegotiate the country's EU-IMF bailout deal.
Led by young civil engineer Alexis Tsipras, Syriza was forged in 2012 at the height of Greece's economic crisis, four years after the then 33-year-old took the helm of a floundering leftist alliance.
In that time its ratings have quintupled, making the party the most popular in the country, scoring 27 percent in the latest polls.
Tsipras has also become the undisputed star of the radical European left, standing against Jean-Claude Juncker in May's election for European Commission president.
"Our priority is to save the country inside the euro, not to save the euro in Greece by destroying society," he said in a TV interview in 2012.
A former Communist, he is also fond of attacking German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the wicked champion of austerity.
Syriza, which refused to take part in this month's presidential election in order to force snap polls, wants to raise salaries and pensions, halt layoffs and freeze the privatisation of state assets -- key elements of reforms demanded by Greece's EU-IMF creditors.
- 'Make the creditors dance' -
Syriza maintains that Greece's creditors will agree to renegotiate the terms of the country's multi-billion euro bailout when faced with a leftist government elected with a strong popular mandate.
"We will beat the drum and they will dance, not the other way round," Tsipras told supporters in a recent speech in central Greece.
But as a coalition of moderate Communists, Trotskyists, ecologists and other leftist groups, Syriza has occasionally found it difficult to present a united front.
As well as withdrawing from NATO, trimming Greece's large army and banning the use of riot police and tear gas during street protests, Syriza advocates a drastic liberalisation of Greece's immigration strategy.
But it claims what it would do in government is under what it calls "continuous processing".
The party has at least three officials who speak on economic issues, not always giving identical views on how strongly Syriza will challenge Greece's creditors once in power.
The party's shadow development minister, Yiorgos Stathakis, says Syriza wants to "renegotiate" Greece's debt but insists there will be no "unilateral" debt write-down.
Syriza's economic policy supremo Yiannis Milios, however, takes a harder stance, threatening to freeze Greece's bond repayments if EU-IMF loans are not paid.
"If loan instalments are not paid, maturing bonds will not be paid," he said in a recent interview.
Financial markets may be unclear on what to make of Tsipras just yet -- but acclaimed University of Texas economist James Galbraith has no such concerns.
"I know that tomorrow you can begin the task of bringing the whole Greek people to your side. Go get 'em," he said in a letter to the young leader released by Tsipras' office.
The radical leftist party Syriza, tipped to win next month’s early election in Greece, is a coalition of leftist groups who oppose austerity and privatisations and want to renegotiate the country’s EU-IMF bailout deal.
Led by young civil engineer Alexis Tsipras, Syriza was forged in 2012 at the height of Greece’s economic crisis, four years after the then 33-year-old took the helm of a floundering leftist alliance.
In that time its ratings have quintupled, making the party the most popular in the country, scoring 27 percent in the latest polls.
Tsipras has also become the undisputed star of the radical European left, standing against Jean-Claude Juncker in May’s election for European Commission president.
“Our priority is to save the country inside the euro, not to save the euro in Greece by destroying society,” he said in a TV interview in 2012.
A former Communist, he is also fond of attacking German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the wicked champion of austerity.
Syriza, which refused to take part in this month’s presidential election in order to force snap polls, wants to raise salaries and pensions, halt layoffs and freeze the privatisation of state assets — key elements of reforms demanded by Greece’s EU-IMF creditors.
– ‘Make the creditors dance’ –
Syriza maintains that Greece’s creditors will agree to renegotiate the terms of the country’s multi-billion euro bailout when faced with a leftist government elected with a strong popular mandate.
“We will beat the drum and they will dance, not the other way round,” Tsipras told supporters in a recent speech in central Greece.
But as a coalition of moderate Communists, Trotskyists, ecologists and other leftist groups, Syriza has occasionally found it difficult to present a united front.
As well as withdrawing from NATO, trimming Greece’s large army and banning the use of riot police and tear gas during street protests, Syriza advocates a drastic liberalisation of Greece’s immigration strategy.
But it claims what it would do in government is under what it calls “continuous processing”.
The party has at least three officials who speak on economic issues, not always giving identical views on how strongly Syriza will challenge Greece’s creditors once in power.
The party’s shadow development minister, Yiorgos Stathakis, says Syriza wants to “renegotiate” Greece’s debt but insists there will be no “unilateral” debt write-down.
Syriza’s economic policy supremo Yiannis Milios, however, takes a harder stance, threatening to freeze Greece’s bond repayments if EU-IMF loans are not paid.
“If loan instalments are not paid, maturing bonds will not be paid,” he said in a recent interview.
Financial markets may be unclear on what to make of Tsipras just yet — but acclaimed University of Texas economist James Galbraith has no such concerns.
“I know that tomorrow you can begin the task of bringing the whole Greek people to your side. Go get ’em,” he said in a letter to the young leader released by Tsipras’ office.
