Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s former left-wing prime minister, has sought to defend his political legacy, including the controversial decision to hold a referendum on the bailout terms proposed by international creditors during the critical summer of 2015.
“SYRIZA, despite its challenges, succeeded in leading Greece out of the bailout programs – something far from certain in 2014 or even 2015,” said Tsipras, now 50, speaking at an economic conference late Tuesday. His remarks followed the release of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s memoirs, which also revisit the tense negotiations of that period.
Currently serving as a SYRIZA MP, Tsipras aimed to debunk what he described as three enduring “myths” from the bailout era.
“There is no bigger myth,” Tsipras said, addressing claims that the New Democracy government under his conservative predecessor, Antonis Samaras, had nearly fulfilled Greece’s commitments to creditors. Quoting Merkel, he claimed she had told him at the time, “The fifth review includes 14 reforms, and Samaras has completed only one.” He further criticized the Samaras administration for proposing what he called a “fake exit” from the bailout program.
Tsipras also defended the controversial 2015 referendum, calling it a turning point that ultimately led to Greece’s debt restructuring. Refuting allegations that he had orchestrated a tactical maneuver or considered exiting the euro – though he acknowledged that some of his cabinet members entertained the idea – Tsipras emphasized, “There was no Plan B; it was always about striving for an honorable compromise.”
Despite a majority of Greeks voting against the creditors’ terms in the referendum, Tsipras signed the very measures he had opposed just days later – a decision derisively nicknamed “kolotoumba” (somersault).
Responding to claims that the third bailout agreement was the harshest, Tsipras argued that it cost Greece €8.4 billion, far less than the €57 billion of previous programs.
“I hold no bitterness over this, but I believe the time has come for a historical reckoning,” he said. “I never claimed that I or my government were flawless. But the fact remains that Greece exited the bailout programs under SYRIZA’s governance.” He added that, as Merkel noted in her memoir, “Greece was saved in 2018.”