Former Greek anti-austerity leader Alexis Tsipras steps back into politics

Greek former prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, speaks to supporters during a pre-election rally, in Athens, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Greeks heading to the polls on Sunday June 25.

ATHENS, Greece — Alexis Tsipras, the combative Greek anti‑austerity leader who railed against Brussels during the country’s debt crisis, returned to politics Tuesday ahead of elections next year.

The former prime minister launched a new left-wing political party, the Greek Left Alliance, cheered on by supporters at an outdoor event beneath the Acropolis.

“We cannot stand by and watch society suffocate,” Tsipras said, arguing that the center-right government’s pro-business agenda has worsened income inequality. “We don’t want to get used to a world of war and injustice.”

At 51, Tsipras ended a three-year pause from active politics. He remains a polarizing figure.

He rose to power in 2015 on promises to end the harsh austerity measures demanded by Greece’s European creditors and the International Monetary Fund. The standoff rattled global markets as Greece came close to crashing out of the euro currency bloc. Athens eventually accepted new loans and more austerity.

Tsipras now hopes to peel away support — and potentially lawmakers — from rival opposition parties as he seeks to challenge conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his bid for a third term.

In launching the new party, Tsipras focused heavily on affordable housing, stronger labor protections and widening economic inequality, themes his allies believe could resonate with younger and lower-income voters squeezed by rising living costs. He also criticized the government’s close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Despite a cost-of-living crunch and a corruption scandal that has dogged his government, Mitsotakis continues to lead comfortably in opinion polls, buoyed by steady economic growth and falling unemployment.

Greece’s opposition landscape remains deeply fragmented with seven parties currently represented in parliament.

Several newcomers and smaller groups are competing to gain traction ahead of the vote. Last week, the mother of a 19-year-old university student killed in Greece’s 2023 rail disaster launched an anti-corruption party, adding further pressure on established opposition groups.

Tsipras’ supporters argue he shielded ordinary Greeks during the country’s darkest economic years and made painful compromises to avert national disaster.

Critics, however, accuse him of betraying voters by campaigning against austerity only to later sign a tough bailout agreement.

“No matter how hard Mr. Tsipras tries — investing in communication that has no substance — to bury his record deep in the ground, the truth will follow him forever,” government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said.

Kantouris reported from Thessaloniki, Greece

Derek Gatopoulos And Costas Kantouris, The Associated Press