European Parliament

By Renee Maltezou & Lefteris Papadimas

Greece's Socialist PASOK party could support a government led by the radical leftist SYRIZA party as part of a wider pro-euro alliance to steer the country out of its bailout program, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos told Reuters.

With just a few days to go before critical snap elections, the two main parties are battling for undecided voters and the center ground, with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras expected to emphasize the risks of a SYRIZA government in campaign speeches Wednesday.

To Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis is on Wednesday expected to say that he will not consider working with SYRIZA after the elections unless the leftists agree to conclude the pending troika review before launching any discussion with Greece?s lenders about debt relief.

One of SYRIZA?s key economic policy makers, Yiannis Dragasakis, said Tuesday that his party recognizes Greece?s loan agreements and public debt but that it is seeking adjustments to both.

?We recognize that the country is bound by loan agreements but we want to review them,? he said at an Economist conference in Athens.

Greece is preparing for the parliamentary elections on Sunday, January 25, which were triggered by lawmakers' failure to elect a head of state. What follows is a brief overview of the main contenders' promises and aspirations.  

EP's S&D Group puts spotlight on media freedom

BRUSSELS -- The Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament has "welcomed Serbia's progress in the EU integration process." ,

However, the group at the same time said it was "concerned over violations of freedom of the media."

BRUSSELS - The Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament welcomes Serbia's progress in the EU integration process, but is concerned over violations of freedom of the media, party officials stated on Tuesday.

By Nikos Chrysoloras & Paul Tugwell

SYRIZA widened its lead over Prime Minister Antonis Samaras?s New Democracy in three opinion surveys just days before the general election, prompting one pollster to say the race was all but decided.

Alexis Mitropoulos, a SYRIZA candidate for Attica, on Tuesday promised that if the leftist party forms a government after Sunday's elections, it will rehire civil servants "who were unconstitutionally and unlawfully fired" as part of Greece's public sector streamlining.

If SYRIZA is elected on January 25, it will be asking Greece's foreign creditors for a "technical extension" to the bailout deal, which expires officially on February 28, a candidate for the leftist party in Athens's second district, Nadia Valavani, told Athina 984 radio on Tuesday.