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Greek party leaders to face off in live televised debate

The leader of the left-wing Syriza party and former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrives for a news conference at the Vellidio Convention Center in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Tsipras said Sunday the upcoming national election, Sept. 20, is a battle between his "honorable" government of the past seven months and "the dark period of corruption, cronyism and power networks" that prevailed in previous decades. The banner on the background reads: "We get rid of the past" and "We Win Tomorrow". (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The leader of the left-wing Syriza party and former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrives for a news conference at the Vellidio Convention Center in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Tsipras said Sunday the upcoming national election, Sept. 20, is a battle between his "honorable" government of the past seven months and "the dark period of corruption, cronyism and power networks" that prevailed in previous decades. The banner on the background reads: "We get rid of the past" and "We Win Tomorrow". (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) The leader of the left-wing Syriza party and former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrives for a news conference at the Vellidio Convention Center in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Tsipras said Sunday the upcoming national election, Sept. 20, is a battle between his "honorable" government of the past seven months and "the dark period of corruption, cronyism and power networks" that prevailed in previous decades. The banner on the background reads: "We get rid of the past" and "We Win Tomorrow". (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

By Associated Press 2 min read

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – The leaders of all but one of Greece’s main political parties will hold a live televised debate for the first time in six years on Wednesday night before the country’s Sept. 20 early election.

The Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party has complained it hasn’t been invited to the debate, despite being the third-largest party in opinion polls.

Golden Dawn politicians have been shunned by mainstream parties despite coming third in January’s parliamentary elections. About 60 of its members, lawmakers and officials, including its leader Nikos Michaloliakos, are on trial on charges of running a criminal organization allegedly linked to brutal beatings of migrants and leftists, and to the August 2013 fatal stabbing of a Greek musician.

Michaloliakos remains under house arrest since his release from jail after being held for the maximum pre-trial limit of 18 months.

The debate later Wednesday between seven politicians will be held at the state-run ERT television channel. Questions from six journalists from the country’s main national TV stations will be grouped into segments on the economy, education and health, migration and foreign policy. The politicians can also ask their rivals one question.