Alexis Tsipras Returns to Greek Politics, Launches New Left-Wing Party ELAS to Challenge Mitsotakis

The comeback event

Alexis Tsipras, the 51-year-old former prime minister of Greece, formally returned to active politics on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, by launching a new political party called the Greek Left Alliance, known by its Greek acronym ELAS. The announcement was made at an outdoor rally in the historic centre of Athens, set against the backdrop of the Acropolis, and was attended by a crowd of supporters as well as thousands watching online. The acronym ELAS deliberately echoes the name of the military wing of the Greek resistance against the Nazi occupation during World War II.

Today, a new political force is being born with the goal not only of political change, but primarily of policy change.

Tsipras framed the new party as a "compass for a new Greece" and a vehicle for a "new patriotism inseparably linked to social justice." He said the country needs a "shock of honesty and democracy" and called on citizens to take their lives back into their own hands.

A fragmented opposition landscape

Tsipras's return comes nearly three years after he stepped down as leader of Syriza following a heavy defeat in the 2023 legislative elections. He later gave up his parliamentary seat in October 2025. Syriza, the radical-left party he once led to power, has since splintered into several politically insignificant smaller groups. Greece's opposition now remains deeply fragmented, with seven parties currently represented in parliament and several newcomers competing for traction ahead of the next vote.

Just last week, the mother of a 19-year-old university student killed in the 2023 rail disaster launched an anti-corruption party, further pressuring established opposition groups. Tsipras hopes to draw support — and potentially lawmakers — from rival opposition parties as he seeks to build a broad progressive alliance.

Policy platform and target voters

In launching ELAS, Tsipras focused heavily on affordable housing, stronger labour protections, and widening economic inequality — themes his allies believe can resonate with younger and lower-income voters squeezed by rising living costs. He presented seven commitments for a "resilient Greece," including living with dignity, a strong democracy, a strong economy, a social rights state against speculation, and digital sovereignty.

We cannot stand by and watch society suffocate. We don't want to get used to a world of war and injustice.

Tsipras said the party represents the convergence of "the three historical currents" of the modern left: the radical left, social democracy, and political ecology. He also criticised the government's close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Attacks on the Mitsotakis government

Tsipras used the launch to deliver a sharp critique of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his centre-right New Democracy party, which has been in power for nearly seven years. He accused the government of corruption, contempt for the rule of law, manipulation of institutions and the judiciary, and illegal telephone surveillance. The government is currently embroiled in several scandals, including an EU investigation into the alleged misappropriation of millions of euros in agricultural subsidies and a wiretapping scandal that reportedly targeted cabinet members, journalists, and opposition leader Nikos Androulakis.

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 dismissed Tsipras's return, arguing that his record of campaigning against austerity only to later sign a tough bailout agreement would continue to haunt him. Public anger also persists over the slow investigation into the 2023 train crash that killed 57 people.

Electoral arithmetic and the road to 2027

The next parliamentary election is scheduled for 2027, though some media reports have floated rumours that a snap poll could be called as early as this autumn. Despite a cost-of-living crunch and corruption scandals, Mitsotakis's New Democracy continues to lead comfortably in opinion polls, buoyed by steady economic growth and falling unemployment. Recent surveys suggest that up to 18% of respondents would support a party led by Tsipras, which could place it in second position.

Tsipras rose to power in January 2015 at the age of 40, becoming the first European head of government from the radical left on a promise to end the austerity measures demanded by Greece's European creditors and the International Monetary Fund. A six-month standoff rattled global markets and brought Greece to the brink of exiting the eurozone before Athens ultimately accepted new loans and more austerity — a compromise that split Syriza and left Tsipras a polarising figure.