Tsipras defends bailout deal ahead of Greek election

(Vatican Radio)  Alexis Tsipras, the leader of Greece’s Syriza party and former prime minister, brushed off criticism of the 86 billion euro bailout deal he signed with Greece’s creditors in July, saying it was the best anyone could have done in the circumstances.

Listen to John Carr's report:

Tsipras made the statement in a nationally televised debate featuring seven Greek party leaders ahead of elections on 20 September.  It was an apparent attempt to heal the wounds in his Syriza party.  But other than that, the three-hour debate failed to throw much light on the basic austerity versus anti-austerity issue on which the election is being fought.

Polls show Syriza and the conservative pro-Europe New Democracy party neck and neck, with about 25 percent each.  They also show that Tsipras’s personal popularity has dropped fairly dramatically since he signed the bailout memorandum.

The flood of migrants into the Greek islands and through the country into Macedonia has also harmed the image of the pro-immigration Syriza.  Conversely, it has boosted support for the far-right Golden Dawn party.  Golden Dawn’s leader was not included in the debate, even though his party is the third biggest in Greece.

Tsipras and the New Democracy leader, Evangelos Meimarakis, are to face off in a one-on-one debate next week, where the issues hopefully will become clearer.