Greek Left-Wing Party Says No to EU Austerity Ahead of Election

The leader of the Greek leftist Syriza party said he and his party are against unpopular austerity measures imposed by EU.

MOSCOW, January 23 (Sputnik) – The leader of the Greek leftist Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, said his party would put an end to the unpopular austerity measures imposed by EU bankers if it wins the upcoming general election on Sunday.

“On Monday, [the] national humiliation will be over. We will finish [taking] orders from abroad,” Tsipras was quoted as saying by the BBC during a Thursday speech.

Tsipras addressed thousands of his party’s supporters in Athens on the last day of the election campaign. The politician called on voters to give Syriza a chance, saying that it could be the “last chance for Greece,” a country that has existed, albeit in many forms, for millennia.

According to recent polls, Syriza, established in 2004, is likely to win the election. The leftists enjoy broad popular support, running over 4 percent ahead of the incumbent New Democracy party.

Syriza’s political agenda focuses on revising the bailout conditions for Greece set by international creditors in exchange for multibillion dollar loans to keep the government afloat. Tsipras has maintained that under Syriza Greece, which has started showing signs of recovery after a six-year recession, would put an end to the widely unpopular austerity measures, which include severe budget cuts and tax hikes. Tsipras has assured that his party does not intend to take Greece out the euro currency bloc.

In 2010, a so-called troika of international creditors, including the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank, agreed a 110 billion euro ($146 billion) bailout package for Greece to prevent a default on its large debt.

As major points of his agenda Tsipras named debt relief, crackdown on tax evasion, as well as the introduction of economic reforms to secure prosperity in Greece.