Still no exit for Greece

Supporters cheer Syriza leftist party leader Alexis Tsipras during an election meeting in central Athens. – AFP

OPINION polls in the run-up to Greece’s early general election on tomorrow indicate that the left-wing Syriza party is likely to win the largest share of votes. As a result, Syriza stands to earn a crucial premium under Greek electoral law, according to which the party that gains the most votes is allocated an extra 50 of the parliament’s 300 seats. In other words, Syriza could come to power, with enormous implications for Greece and Europe.

Syriza is more a coalition than a unified party, meaning that its leader, Alexis Tsipras, must reconcile moderate socialists, including some of his economic advisers, with radical left-wing members. The implementation and impact of Syriza’s agenda, especially its decisive economic programme, will depend on the new government’s ability to maintain support at home and compromise with Greece’s creditors abroad.