Leaders' debate heats up Greek election campaign

Greece's former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras acknowledged Wednesday that his government had not delivered on all its promises but vowed to keep fighting austerity as he faced off against challengers in a televised election debate.

Tsipras, who is locked in a neck-and-neck race with his conservative rival Vangelis Meimarakis of the New Democracy Party, said he had placed the "interests of the Greek people" above all else when he agreed an unpopular third bailout deal with international creditors in July.

The 86-billion-euro rescue ($96 billion) package prevented a Greek exit from the eurozone but demands tough reforms in return for the cash, sparking a rebellion within Tsipras's leftist Syriza party, which came to power in January on an anti-austerity platform.

Tsipras, 41, admitted that his government had not "fulfilled all its commitments" but pledged to "keep up the fight" against austerity if he is re-elected on September 20.

Attacking the premier's economic record, Meimarakis, 61, called the bailout "painful" and said that unlike Syriza, his party would be capable of "attracting investment" to rebuild the country's crippled economy.

EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker earlier on Wednesday said whoever wins the September 20 vote must respect the terms of the huge bailout deal.

"I expect them to stand by their word and deliver on the agreement -- whoever governs," Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
A total of seven party leaders took part in the televised debate, the first in the country since 2009.

Though the economy featured heavily in the debate, it was the migrant crisis that drew some of the most heated exchanges.

Meimarakis accused Tsipras's government of a "lack of foresight" that has led to an overwhelmed Greece struggling to cope with a massive influx of migrants and refugees on its islands. He stressed the need for Greece to "guard its borders".

Tsipras for his part said he had pushed the European Union to take action on the crisis and warned his countrymen against a populist response to a humanitarian emergency that has left "three-year-old children dead on the shores of the Aegean", a reference to the Syrian boy found dead on a Turkish beach last week.

 'Crucial for small parties' -

Although past debates changed little in the electoral outcome, this campaign is different, analysts say.

Neither Syriza nor New Democracy look likely to secure an outright majority, meaning they will need to work with smaller parties who have much to gain from the debate exposure.

"Few voters switch because of a debate, but the current political system is quite fluid," political scientist Elias Tsaousakis told Efimerida ton Syntakton daily.

"It will be crucial for the small parties," agreed pollster Takis Theodorikakos.

"The election campaign is so brief that (the debate) is an excellent opportunity for these leaders to make a good impression," he added.
In addition to a challenge from the right, Tsipras is also under pressure from Popular Unity, a breakaway party made up of former Syriza members, who rebelled when Tsipras's government signed up to the new bailout deal.

In the face of the revolt, Tsipras resigned last month, prompting the snap election.

The campaign is short as Greece in October must adopt a batch of additional reforms tied to the EU bailout that was ratified by parliament in August.

Chief among them is a new tax regime for farmers that scraps a number of benefits, making them a key dissatisfied group to watch in the election.

The small centrist To Potami party, headed by a former journalist, has been seen as a possible ally for New Democracy while Tsipras has hinted he could work with the Pasok socialist party.

Tsipras is also open to cooperation with his former coalition partner, the nationalist Independent Greeks, but polls suggest the party might fail to enter parliament.

The neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, whose leaders are the subject of a massive investigation following the murder of a leftist rapper in 2013, was excluded from the debate.

But the hardline party stands to gain from anger towards the government, mainly from islanders who say this year's tourism season was hurt by failure to manage the refugee arrivals.

Another debate is expected to be held between Tsipras and Meimarakis next week.
Source: AFP