Greece will vote in parliamentary elections on Sunday, nearly one month after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was forced to call a snap vote after parliament failed to agree on a new president.
Polls indicate that radical left-wing party Syriza is set to take the most votes. Whether Syriza gains an outright majority or forms a ruling coalition, the party’s firebrand leader Alexis Tsipras looks set to become prime minister of the troubled European nation.
Samaras’ popularity has declined significantly since coming into office in 2012, amid a strict austerity program imposed by Greece’s “troika” creditors, made up of eurozone countries, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Greece received bailouts from the “troika” in 2010 and 2012 totaling 240 billion euros (or $283 billion), and continued funding is set for review again in February.
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RADICAL FOREIGN POLICY?
Syriza also send warning bells across Europe by supporting Greece’s pullout from NATO and criticizing sanctions on Russia.
However, the party has also softened its stance on foreign policy issues in the run-up to the election, refocusing on the momentous domestic challenges in the country, Bloomberg noted: “Syriza is sacrificing its more revolutionary ambitions to the overriding goal of getting better terms for Greece’s economic aid package.”
More On The Greek Elections:
— 7 Keys to Understanding the Greek Elections
— Would A Syriza Win Be Good for EU Integration?
— Greece Has Nothing To Lose But Its Chains
— Massive Crowd For Syriza’s Final Rally
