Greek election too close to call with 48 hours to go

Greece’s election campaign winds up today in a dead heat with 48 hours to go and all bets off on whether young radical ex-premier Alexis Tsipras will triumph again or be punished for tying the country to painful economic reforms.

With his Syriza party still reeling from an insider anti-austerity revolt that toppled his government in August, Tsipras could be upstaged by his conservative rivals in the New Democracy party, who promise a return to stability after months of economic upheaval.

Both conservative leader Vangelis Meimarakis and Tsipras have pledged to stick to the tough reforms demanded by cash-strapped Greece’s international creditors in July, meaning that economic policy going forwards is largely set in stone for whoever wins the September 20 vote. So with divisions blurred by the cash-for-reform deal and polls showing a sizeable section of the electorate - around 10 per cent - remains undecided, the race is simply too close to call.

“It’s the first time I’ve felt so <g data-gr-id="22">powerlesss</g> to make an estimate. The entire political scene is like a boiling cauldron,” Paschos Mandravelis, a columnist for liberal daily Kathimerini, said.

Tsipras has a final chance to steal a march with a closing rally in central Athens, where he will be joined by Pablo Iglesias, leader of Spain’s anti-establishment Podemos party.