Greece’s left-wing Syriza party has maintained a steady lead in the polls ahead of election time.
Party leader Alexis Tsipras toned down rhetoric critical of European task-masters. On one hand he suggested that if Syriza’s popularity resulted in its forming a government, it would not surprise markets with an immediate default.
On another front, going some way to reassuring voters, he said Greece’s obligations to its creditors would not be the object of any “unilateral” decisions. Tsipras promised to end four years of bleak austerity by splurging on social spending.
Syriza officials conceded there is no guarantee of winning an outright majority. So the party is keenly watching to see what small party, or parties, would help build a coalition.
The centre-right New Democracy party led by the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (who has a higher personal approval rating than Tsipras) is clearly against Syriza’s course of action.
New Democracy candidate Dora Bakoyanni, in the run-up
