Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

EUobserver maintains an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series Briefed hosted by Lea Marchal. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

Find the full transcript below.

Today we present a special episode recorded in Paris with Ioannis Tsioulis, journalist from the Greek media Popaganda, one of our partners in the Sphera network.

I invited Ioannis to discuss the potential comeback of Alexis Tsipras in Greece ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.

Does he stand a chance to win and become prime minister once more? What has changed since 2015?

Here is a brief recap. Alexis Tsipras rose to power in Greece in 2015 with Syriza, a coalition of left-wing and radical left parties. He governed for four and a half years in partnership with the right-wing Independent Greeks party.

Tsipras gained attention for renegotiating loan terms with the Troika during the Greek financial crisis. He is also remembered for implementing austerity measures despite public opposition at the time.

Tsipras lost the snap election he called in 2019. The right-wing New Democracy party has held power since then under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Ioannis, what has happened with Syriza since 2019? It was inevitable for Syriza to lose because the party campaigned on anti-austerity promises yet delivered strong austerity measures during its term.

The party burdened the middle class to meet financial targets set by the Troika. Some measures came from the European Union, while others were domestic choices that weakened the middle class. This approach created instability and backlash from the largest segment of Greek society.

Syriza also resolved the name dispute with North Macedonia. Few parties would address this sensitive issue, especially in northern Greece where the Macedonia name carried deep significance. Syriza settled the matter amicably with European Union support, which irritated many who viewed it as a concession for financial aid.

This contributed to Tsipras losing popularity and prompted him to launch a new movement called ELAS, or Alliance of Greek Left.

Does Tsipras stand a chance of winning next year with this new movement? Alexis Tsipras remains a political figure with strong appeal. People often seek leaders who can rescue them from difficulties. During his time leading Syriza, the party failed to develop a successor with comparable popularity and mass appeal.

After he left Syriza, the party declined sharply in polls. He attempted to rebrand by writing a book on his experiences and then forming a new party, previously described as a movement. Within two weeks it became the second-highest polling party.

Under certain conditions, especially given the unpopularity of the current right-wing government, he could approach a tie or win by a narrow margin. However, many voters still resent him over the North Macedonia agreement.

Tsipras was among the few radical left leaders in Europe at the time. Is he defending the same ideas now? His ideological platform appears unchanged. Many policies he now proposes contradict measures he supported while in office, raising questions about why he did not act earlier when he had the opportunity.

He remains a radical left leader yet introduces the concept of radical patriotism to attract conservative voters. Greece is a country where roughly 89 percent of people view their culture as superior to others in Europe. Securing a major victory requires addressing this sense of national pride.

His platform is radical yet contradictory, as it is challenging to combine sovereignist and left-wing positions. The approach is complex but resonates with an audience, and he polls strongly. Winning will be difficult but not impossible.