Macropolis

Greece’s lenders and the series of challenges that lie ahead for the government have rekindled speculation about SYRIZA needing a new or extra coalition partner in the months to come.

The Union of Centrists, led by the quirky Vassilis Leventis, has for some time been the favourite to provide a political crutch to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should his government’s three-seat majority come under pressure from the stresses and strains of trying to meet fiscal targets and complete the reforms needed to secure further bailout funding.

The Union of Centrists lost its spokesman over the summer after he claimed that Leventis had told him to go easy on Tsipras.

Speculation about a possible alliance between Tsipras and Leventis was fuelled by the opposition politician’s presence at the premier speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair. It is extremely rare for leaders of opposition parties to attend such events. Also, Leventis reportedly told Tsipras he was “honoured” to be there when the prime minister greeted him.

However, during a news conference in Thessaloniki on Monday, Leventis refuted that a deal is in the making. He claimed that it was more likely that New Democracy would team up with SYRIZA than his own party. The Union of Centrists chief, whose party has nine MPs, insisted that he would only enter government if it is an ecumenical, or national emergency, administration that reflected the whole political spectrum.

Leventis’s zig-zagging over the last few months, veering from staunch attacks on the government to backing the coalition over some issues, such as electoral reform, has made it very difficult to interpret his intentions. There continues to be a sense, though, that after decades on the political fringes the temptation to be involved in government might be too much for him to resist.

For the time being, that option is not on the table as there appears no immediate threat to the government’s majority. This may change after SYRIZA’s congress in October, when the lid on the party’s internal differences may be lifted. Tsipras also indicated in Thessaloniki that a cabinet reshuffle may be on the cards.

Centre ground

PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata also insisted on Monday that there was no chance of her party joining SYRIZA in office. In previous months, PASOK had also been seen as a potential governing ally in a coalition that would seek to impede the advance of a Kyriakos Mitsotakis-led New Democracy due to fears that he would conquer the middle ground and overshadow SYRIZA and the socialists.

This idea was put on the back burner when PASOK began its discussions with centrist To Potami over a potential alliance. The recent breakdown of the process, which was to include a ballot to elect a common leader, may trigger renewed speculation about PASOK’s future, which Gennimata apparently wanted to nip in the bud.

The PASOK leader suggested that the reason the unification with Potami broke down was that the centrists have their heart set on an alliance with Mitsotakis, whose pro-reformist stance and attempt to appeal to middle class moderates seems to have more in common with their beliefs.

The failure of PASOK and Potami to reach an understanding certainly leaves the middle ground in Greek politics wide open. Mitsotakis, who is speaking in Thessaloniki this weekend, has made it clear that he wants to appeal to these voters, including those who deem themselves to be on the centre-left.

This reshaping of the Greek political scene may have played a part in the subdued performance that Tsipras gave at Thessaloniki. Even newspapers that are not supportive of the government noted the moderation in his speech. This could reflect an awareness among the prime minister’s advisers that he will gradually have to transform his image and approach in order to compete with New Democracy, which has the edge over SYRIZA in the polls but which has also failed to move significantly closer to the kind of ratings that would mean a clear majority is in sight.