Popular Unity leader Lafazanis: 'We will emerge as a large political force after the elections' (ADDS)

Speaking at the first press conference after the announcement of the new group, the former former Energy minister said he will try to form a “wide anti-bailout front” which will be “strong, patriotic and democratic for the country’s reconstruction”.

“In this crucial period, the country’s future will be judged for decades. It is well-known that these elections are very crucial for the prospect and survival of the country,” he told journalists.

The official program of the new group will be submitted in the coming days as it still being discussed today, he said. Outlining the key goals of the new formation is to annul the memorandums, write-down a large part of the country’s debt, reject any new taxes, abolish the unified property tax (ENFIA), nationalization of banks and state control over public companies.

Lafazanis lashed out on the government saying it has taken an initiative “in the middle of August” to reign and resort to snap elections. “The question is, what’s the rush? The answer is obvious and we all know it…the government wants to confuse citizens and steal the vote of the Greek people. It’s an old tactic that reminds us of New Democracy and PASOK and unfortunately it is being implemented by Alexis Tsipras.”

He said the other reason is that the government thought it could catch the Left Platform by surprise, but "we were not surprised. We are ready. We will emerge as a large political force after the elections."

The leader of Popular Unity said the new group consists of 25 MPs who are consistent in their pre-election commitments and who took the initiative to set up a parliamentary group whose name expresses the prospects the group wants for the country. “It aspires to becoming a front of popular participation and large popular struggles," he said.