Tsipras to Call Snap Election if Parliament Majority Denied

Alexis Tsipras, Greek PM, stated that he would call a snap election if he did not receive a parliamentary majority.

ATHENS (Sputnik) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Wednesday he would call a snap election if he did not receive a parliamentary majority, during an interview with Greece’s Sto Kokkino radio station.

"I’m the last person to want [early] elections," Tsipras said. "If I don’t have the majority, I’ll be forced to go to elections," he added.

The prime minister’s left-wing Syriza party came to power in January 2015 on an anti-austerity platform. Earlier almost 40 party parliament members voted against two legislative packages Greece’s creditors forced on Athens to guarantee new bailout talks. The bills were put through primarily due to votes from opposition parties.

Tsipras said his party would have an extraordinary congress in late August or early September to consider Syriza’s future. "But first we need to defuse the bomb," he said in reference to the third bailout package.

In mid-July, Eurozone countries agreed to extend a $95-billion financial lifeline to cash-strapped Greece over three years in exchange for austerity reforms. Athens and money lenders seek to finalize an accord by August 12.