Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday formally launched his political comeback, filing the founding declaration of a new left-wing political movement with Greece’s Supreme Court and declaring that “the journey and the struggle begin now.”
The new party, called the Hellenic Left Alliance (EL.A.S.), is Tsipras’ most significant political initiative since stepping down as leader of Syriza following the Greek left’s crushing electoral defeats in 2023.
Speaking outside the Areios Pagos - Greece’s highest civil and criminal court, where political parties must officially register before participating in elections - Tsipras sought to present the new movement as a broad democratic alliance focused on social justice, institutional reform and economic dignity. “Our banner is Democracy and Justice,” Tsipras told reporters. “Democracy degenerates without justice, and justice cannot breathe without a strong democracy.”
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The former prime minister said tens of thousands of people from across Greece and the Greek diaspora had already signed the party’s founding declaration online, calling the response “deeply moving.” Under Greek law, parties are required to submit signatures alongside their founding documents; Tsipras said 300 signatures were symbolically deposited at the court, while many more had been collected digitally.
“We aspire to be useful to society and to our homeland,” he said. “We are optimistic that we can bring something better to this country.”
The launch marks an attempt by Tsipras to reassert himself as a central figure in Greek politics at a time when the country’s fragmented left remains unable to challenge the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his center-right New Democracy government.
During the official unveiling of the party earlier this week in central Athens, Tsipras outlined seven central goals that he said would define the movement’s political direction.
The first is what he described as “a life with dignity,” promising policies aimed at improving living standards amid mounting pressure from inflation, housing costs and stagnant wages. A second pledge focused on strengthening democratic institutions and increasing transparency, with Tsipras calling for an end to political immunity and greater oversight of public power and state spending.
Economically, the party is advocating what Tsipras called a model of “fair development and dignity,” centered on reshaping Greece’s productive economy through stronger support for agriculture, manufacturing and domestic production.
The new movement also places heavy emphasis on rebuilding the welfare state, arguing that healthcare, education, housing, culture and social protection should once again become universal rights rather than privileges available only to those who can afford them.
Another major pillar of the platform focuses on what Tsipras described as creating a “resilient Greece” capable of responding to overlapping global crises, including climate change, energy insecurity and geopolitical instability. The party is also seeking to position itself around issues of technological sovereignty and digital governance, proposing stronger national control over critical technological infrastructure and digital systems.
On foreign policy, Tsipras called for a “new national compass” for Greece, advocating a more multidimensional and active diplomatic strategy aimed at defending Greek national interests while simultaneously “building bridges of peace.”
Tsipras was accompanied at Thursday’s filing by party spokesperson Theoni Koufonikolakou, members of the communications team and Maria Lepenioti, one of the co-signatories of the founding declaration whose presence drew questions from journalists.
Asked about her attendance, Tsipras again returned to the themes of institutional accountability and democratic renewal. “What this symbolizes,” he said, “is exactly what I mentioned earlier: that democracy without justice deteriorates, and that all of us must fight under the banner of democracy and justice.”
