Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,14 Jun 2012,25 mins

The Rise of Syriza

Assignment

Available for over a year

As the people of Greece return to the polls on June 17th, there's a chance they might vote into power a radical left-wing party that before this year had never won more than five percent of the vote. At the heart of Syriza's appeal is a simple policy: rejecting the EU bailout memorandum that has imposed sweeping austerity measures on Greece in return for IMF loans. The party's opponents say it's a high-stakes gamble that could see Greece forced out of the Euro. For Assignment, Chloe Hadjimatheou goes behind the scenes at Syriza's headquarters - where staff refer to each other as comrade - to watch as they prepare for what could be one of the most profound shifts in Greek political history. (Image: Alexis Tsipras, head of Syriza, delivers a speech during a pre-election rally in Athens on June 6, 2012. Credit: Reuters / Yorgos Karahalis)

Programme Website
More episodes