Following the Hellenic Parliament’s decisive approval of a new €85bn bailout programme on August 14, which led to a serious division in the SYRIZA ruling party, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his government resigned on August 20 after only seven months in office, paving the way for an early general election on September 20.

A caretaker government was sworn in August 28, and for the first time in its history, Greece has a female Prime Minister, Vassiliki Thanou, a former Supreme Court chief.

Gearing up their election campaigns, party leaders are expected this week to outline their political agendas during the 80th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), the annual trade fair where Greek political leaders traditionally outline and discuss their views on economic policy for the coming year.  

In his TIF speech yesterday (Sept. 6), former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras unveiled his re-election manifesto, pledging to continue fighting to improve the terms of the bailout deal and promising "an exit from the crisis with society and people still standing on their feet; growth must not be the result of social leveling". More political leaders are expected in Thessaloniki later this week to present their electoral programmes.