And he still trails in the polls ahead of October’s general election
By the Economist
ALEXIS TSIPRAS has been talking up his left-wing credentials as he campaigns for the European parliament election on May 26th, which is widely seen as a test run for a Greek general election due by late October. In speeches, the prime minister makes a point of distancing the ruling Syriza party from the corrupt, high-living elite he blames for plunging the country into an unprecedented eight-year recession.
Last week, though, Mr Tsipras took a roasting on social media: photos of him lounging on an Athens tycoon’s yacht last August appeared on scores of Greek websites. The premier’s unannounced holiday was also criticised as disrespectful to the memory of 102 people who had been killed in a devastating forest fire the previous month. Many of the deaths could have been prevented, investigators argued, were it not for bungling by the police and the fire service.
