As another Greek election looms after the failure to form a new coalition, suspicions are growing that radical left party Syriza could come out on top. But what is Syriza and what can we expect from it?
It's a socialist party of parties
Syriza is an acronym of Synaspismós Rhizospastikís Aristerás, comprising a group of left-wing parties together under one name. Officially a 'Coalition of the Radical Left', Syriza mostly comprises the party Synasprimos, led by Alexis Tsipras, as well as over 10 other socialist parties.
Syriza is vehemently anti-austerity
The group reject the plans of the European Union and International Monetary Fund for Greece's recovery through austerity and cuts, branding the plans "barbarous memorandums". Tsipras' hope is to renegotiate deals with the country's creditors in order to allow the country to be spared of a big financial squeeze.
The party of the common people
A BBC profile on Syriza attributes the success of the party to "its ability to attract voters and activists from all [demographics]". Greece has been rocked by riots and public apathy at the country's dire financial state, and Syriza is regarded as something new, a roll of the dice at a better future.
Arianna Huffington wrote in the New York Times that the Greek people are demanding change at any cost and that they will do so "through either the ballot box or violence in the streets."
The party has a mandate to form a government
Since the collapse of the Pasok party government in early May, Greek politics has tried to reform a government. The first election saw Syriza mop up left-wing votes which would usually have gone to Pasok or the Democratic Left, leaving it in a powerful position when no party earned a majority vote.
After refusing to create a coalition with Pasok, other left-wing parties or any party at all which agreed with austerity plans, a second election has been called with no parliament formed. Syriza remains a front-runner to obtain an even higher percentage of the vote and thus a bigger say in the formation of a government.
Leader Alexis Tsipras could be a key figure on the European stage
Aged only 37, Tsipras is one of the youngest politicians in the country, and one of the most popular. He is the icon of the Greek anti-austerity movement, uniting the frustrated, the desperate, the poor and the outraged together to try to turn the country around through means other than budget cuts.
He is an unknown quantity as a politician. The previous government was incredibly unpopular and Tsipras has been accused of running a purely 'populist' campaign. Should he win the election, he will sit amongst leaders such as Angela Merkel and David Cameron debating the complexities of the EU and the financial crisis. It remains to to be seen how he would fare as a relatively inexperienced statesman.