Alexis Tsipras

Alexis Tsipras (Greek Αλέξης Τσίπρας, born July 28, 1974 in Athens ) is a Greek politician and chairman of the Synaspismos (SYN ) and the party alliance SYRIZA.

In the parliamentary elections on June 17, 2012 SYRIZA was the second strongest party with 26.9 percent.

Political action

During his school years Tsipras was organized in the left, in the then united Communist Youth ( Synaspismos time was an alliance of the Communist Party of Greece and the Greek Left ). He took part in the student protests vigorously during the occupation of 1990 and 1991 and subsequently also in the student movement.

As a student he became involved in organizations " reformed Left" and directed the Association of Students of Civil Engineering. He also served on the Board of greece wide waistband EFEE students.

He was elected secretary of the youth wing of Synaspismos in 1999, a position he held until the third congress of the organization (March 2003). During this time he took a leading role in the formation of the Greek Social Forum and also took part in international anti-globalization protests. On the fourth congress of the SYN ( December 2004) he was elected with 42% in fifth place in the Central Committee and then to the party executive, where he took on the themes of education and youth.

In October 2006 Tsipras was elected with 10.51% to the City Council of Athens, as the leader of the movement " Open City " (Greek Anichtí Póli Ανοιχτή Πόλη ).

At the Fifth Congress of the SYN ( February 2008) he was elected as the successor of Alexandros Alavanos with 70% of votes the chairman of the party.

Since the third congress of the European Left (December 2010), he is also Vice- President of the European Left. On 15 December 2013, the European Left in Madrid Tsipras nominated as the leading candidate for the 2014 European elections, and thus at the same time as a candidate for the office of President of the EU Commission.

He lives with Peristera Baziana, with whom he has two children.