Tsipras asks for second chance, acknowledges mistakes
Two days before the country's second general elections this year, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras called on Greeks to give him a second chance.
In an interview with ANT1 television, Tsipras admitted that he had made mistakes, notably claiming that he did not "demand clearer things on February 20," referring to his government's initial agreement with creditors.
However, despite the mistakes and concessions, Tsipras insisted that he had fought harder than SYRIZA's key political rival New Democracy which, he said, "was pressing us to sign everything."
Tsipras once again highlighted some of the achievements of his government, chiefly a so-called humanitarian aid bill that offered relief to the poorest households and the rehiring of civil servants including hundreds of staff dismissed from the now reinstated public broadcaster ERT as well as the sacked Finance Ministry cleaners.
He insisted that SYRIZA's plan had never been for Greece to leave the euro and that he was not influenced in his decisions by the small part of the party which supports a return to the drachma.
As for post-election alliances, Tsipras expressed his conviction that SYRIZA will manage to form a government. The choice for Greeks is between a "progressive" and a "conservative" administration, he said.
