Alexis Tsipras, the former Greek prime minister, vowed on Wednesday to end immunity for politicians and tackle corruption as he announced a new party expected to shake up national politics.

Tsipras, who led Greece during the height of the economic crisis in 2015, is seeking to distance himself from his former allies on the left, stating that he will not accept any currently serving politicians into his new party.

“We are committed to a strong democracy without immunity from prosecution, and to transparency and accountability at every level of power and public spending,” the left-wing leader said during the launch of his new party, the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), beside the Acropolis in Athens.

A wiretapping scandal, combined with an EU farm subsidies scandal and a train crash that killed 57 people, has created a toxic political climate in Athens ahead of the national elections in 2027.

In all these cases, ministers allegedly involved have been protected by Article 86 of the Greek constitution, under which only a parliamentary majority can decide whether to lift their immunity and allow prosecution to proceed.

The current conservative New Democracy government, led by Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, holds a parliamentary majority and has consistently blocked attempts to lift his ministers’ immunity.

Several government officials have accused Kövesi of playing political games, triggering a strong reaction from the opposition.

Polls place Tsipras second

According to the latest RealPolls survey, Tsipras’ party stands at 14.1%, followed by Hope for Democracy, led by Maria Karystianou, the mother who lost her child in the 2023 Tempi train crash.

New Democracy still ranks first with 27.5%, while the socialists have fallen to 8.6%. All other parties on the left – including his former one, Syriza – fail to reach the 3% threshold required to enter parliament.

Forming a coalition government could prove difficult for Mitsotakis as almost all opposition parties have ruled out cooperating with New Democracy while he remains leader.

Meanwhile, left-wing opposition parties fear that Tsipras’ new movement could eclipse them altogether.

(mm, cs)