Can Tsipras return with a mandate to govern?

The Greek prime minister and leader of Syriza tried to take on the might of the EU, but ultimately failed

Alexis Tsipras got the Greek parliament to back a deal with the EU – at the cost of a revolt among his own MPs. PIcture: Bloomberg

After the treaty, the split. The Syriza party of Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has split, with anti-bailout MPs leaving to form their own party to contest the forthcoming elections under the banner of ‘Popular Unity’.

The trigger for the formal split was the decision by Tsipras last Thursday to resign as prime minister and so precipitate a general election, likely to be held on September 20. Greek constitutional protocols require the president ...