Greece’s main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras held his main campaign rally in central Athens on Thursday (May 18) across from parliament as the country readies for a parliamentary vote on May 21, Reuters reports.
Thousands of party supporters gathered at the rally waving flags and flares, filling the capital's main square.
“The message we are sending here all together is that on Sunday Greece will turn the page,” Tsipras told the crowd.
The economy has once again taken centre stage ahead of Sunday's (May 21) vote, in a country that has emerged from a decade-long debt crisis that wiped out nearly a fourth of its economic output.
Households have been battling inflation since last year, while economic growth is forecast to slip to 2.3% this year from 5.9% in 2022.
Tsipras has criticized the government for not doing enough to ease the burden of high energy and food prices, and said his government would further raise wages and pensions as well as re-introduce labour rights that were abolished.
“These were four dramatic years, the people know, it is time now for Syriza to become the government again, without bailouts, without Germany over our heads, so we can see good days again like we did in the olden days," said Syriza party supporter Dimitris Bakoyannis.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who holds his final rally on Friday, has spent over 50 billion euros in relief measures since 2020, hiked pensions and raised the monthly minimum wage by 20% to 780 euros to cushion the cost-of-living crisis.
His New Democracy party is leading over the leftist Syriza party in opinion polls. But Sunday’s election may not produce an outright winner due to a new voting system. A second ballot may take place in early July, unless a coalition is formed, which Mitsotakis said he would prefer to avoid.
