The Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) alliance and its component members remain united and their supporters remained rallied around them, Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) party leader Alexis Tsipras stressed last week.

“Those who see a possibility that SYRIZA will be left out of political things in the country will be proved wrong,” Tsipras stated.

Tsipras underlined that the more obviously the media and other political groups displayed their anxiousness to see the renewalist and radical Left removed from the political map, the more strongly they would rally SYRIZA supporters and all progressive citizens to SYRIZA’s support:
“It is now apparent that the plans for majority governments and grand coalitions in order to promote anti-working-class policies depend on eradicating SYRIZA and that it should not be present in the political things of the country,” he noted.

Speaking in Thessaloniki Tsipras accused Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis of attempting to identify himself with the “public good,” while announcing measures aimed at serving the “big economic interests”.

He also attacked main Opposition leader George Papandreou, accusing him of using “flowery language,” of dealing with generalities and of not offering a vision or solutions which the broad Left could find common cause.

Tsipras also said there was  a huge gap between PASOK and SYRIZA’s positions, when asked about the likelihood of cooperation between the two parties.

When asked about SYRIZA’s goal in the election he responded with the slogan: “We want 3 percent plus your vote”, a reference to the 3-percent ceiling a party must exceed to elect candidates to Parliament.

Tsipras’s statement comes after SYRIZA came close to collapse two weekends ago because of disagreements over who should lead the political alliance in the elections.

This was averted at the 11th hour when SYN finally backed down from a demand that Tsipras lead both SYN and SYRIZA and replace Alekos Alavanos as head of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary group.

In a last-ditch effort at compromise, the warring sides agreed to go to election without any leader at the head of the ticket, stipulating that each candidate would enter Parliament based on the number of votes they received individually. Shortly afterward, Alavanos announced that he will not be a candidate in the elections.