Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras all but announced his return to frontline politics, using a high-profile book launch to signal the imminent creation of a new party while delivering a withering critique of Greece’s fractured opposition.
Speaking to a capacity crowd at the Pallas Theater for the presentation of his memoir Ithaca, Mr. Tsipras framed the event as the start of a "new journey" designed to pull the country "out of today's swamp."
"Your presence today is an expression of expectation, a declaration of participation in this new journey," Mr. Tsipras said, his tone more akin to a campaign rally than a literary event. "We will be together."
Although stopping short of a formal declaration, the former premier’s rhetoric left little doubt a new formation is pending.
In his sharpest intervention since resigning as Syriza leader, he lashed out at the current progressive opposition—including his former party and the socialist Pasok—accusing them of being consumed by internal rivalry over "who will be first in the village" rather than challenging the New Democracy government.
The staging reinforced his message of renewal.
While prominent former ministers were seated in the upper tiers, the front rows were reserved for young associates of the Tsipras Institute, a visual signal that the old guard would be sidelined in his future plans.
"From now on, invitations will be for everyone, but no one will have a reserved seat in the front row," Mr. Tsipras warned.
He outlined a governing platform based on "fair development," resting on four pillars: sustainable growth, redistribution, security, and resilience.
The event was attended by Syriza President Sokratis Famellos and New Left leader Alexis Haritsis, underscoring the potential for a major realignment of the center-left.
Political analysts viewed the speech as a de facto launch, noting that the only step remaining—a formal party declaration—now appears to be a mere technicality.
By Antonis Telopoulos