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Greece’s Tsipras: party rebels could force early election

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras gives an interview to the radio station ''Sto Kokkino 1055'' in Athens, Wednesday, July 29, 2015. Greece's parliament has already approved two batches of reforms, drastically increasing sales tax on key consumer goods, and reforming the banking and judiciary systems. But that caused a rift within Tsipras' party, and about a quarter of his lawmakers refused to back the reforms, which were passed with the help of pro-European opposition parties. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras gives an interview to the radio station ''Sto Kokkino 1055'' in Athens, Wednesday, July 29, 2015. Greece's parliament has already approved two batches of reforms, drastically increasing sales tax on key consumer goods, and reforming the banking and judiciary systems. But that caused a rift within Tsipras' party, and about a quarter of his lawmakers refused to back the reforms, which were passed with the help of pro-European opposition parties. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

By Associated Press July 29, 2015 1 min read

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s prime minister says he does not want early elections, but rebels within his radical left Syriza party could force his hand.

Alexis Tsipras said Wednesday that if he loses his parliamentary majority, which has been challenged by party hardliners who oppose Greece’s talks for a new international bailout, he will have to call national elections.

Tsipras said in an interview with Syriza’s Sto Kokkino radio station that he wants to hold a party congress in September, once the vital bailout deal is sealed, to decide on the party’s future.

Tsipras’ six-month-old government is negotiating the terms of the 85 billion euro bailout – Greece’s third in little more than five years – with representatives of the country’s international creditors. The deal must be concluded before Aug. 20.