A few weeks ago, Alexis Tsipras called a new election in Greece, appealing to voters for a new leadership mandate. Most of the mainstream press praised this move of Tsipras, who rapidly moved from the persona of wanna-be communist revolutionary to the image of a “man we can do business with”: a “moderate” left-winger who can ensure Greece stays in Europe and within the Eurozone.

Now The Wall Street Journal reports that the polls signal a very small lead (between 1% and 3%, which is an elegant way to say pollsters don’t have a clue) for Tsipras’s Syriza over New Democracy, the right-of-center party closely associated with the pre-Tsipras management of the Greek crisis.

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The good news, for Tsipras–but also for Greece’s creditors–is that “Popular Unity,” the group formed by those who deserted Syriza “on the left,” is credited with 3-5% of the votes. Not an irrelevant number, particularly because this will be their first act with the new brand, but still not a major drain for Syriza.

A good percentage of Greeks polled say they are still uncertain, or they won’t vote.
The most likely outcome, were the polls to be confirmed by the actual vote, is a grand coalition. Will other, more moderate coalition members accept Mr Tsipras’s leadership? Will he be interested in supporting a cabinet he doesn’t lead? We’ll see. Elections are set for September 20.