SYRIZA government would block EU decisions, says Tsipras

A SYRIZA government would block any European Union decision requiring unanimity in a bid to force Greece’s lenders to improve the terms of the country’s bailout, leftist leader Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday.

“No decision will be taken at the EU if our demand for a viable solution to be found for Greece is not met,” Tsipras said in an interview with the protesting employees of former public TV channel ET3 in Thessaloniki.

Tsipras said that his party is “completely prepared” for the possibility that the troika would cut off funding to Greece in response to a move by a SYRIZA government to unilaterally eschew the terms of the troika bailout. However, he insisted that the possibility of Greece being isolated was unlikely because of the economic and geopolitical consequences of such a move.

On the domestic front, Tsipras called for voters to make May’s European elections a referendum on the coalition government. “I have doubts that we will get that far without having national elections, but if we do, the European ballot will be a referendum on the memorandum policies,” he said.

Tsipras said the government’s survival depended on how much pressure the troika exerts, adding that should SYRIZA succeed the New Democracy-PASOK coalition, it would not aim to govern alone but would seek alliances, even with politicians from the current government.

“We are not asking for anyone to recant,” he said. “We will not exorcise the MPs within the government that disagree with policy,” he said.