Greece Election: Syriza vows to end 'five years of humiliation and pain'

Anti-austerity Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras has once again pledged to renegotiate Greece’s massive international bailout.

09:59 27 January 2015

Anti-austerity Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras has vowed to end Greece’s “five years of humiliation and pain” and once again pledged to renegotiate the country’s massive international bailout following his general election win. 

By Sunday Syriza won 149 seats, just two short of an absolute majority. With most votes counted, Syriza polled 36% while the outgoing New Democracy won 28%.

Addressing his cheering supporters in Athens late on Sunday, Mr Tsipras said: "the Greeks wrote history".

"Greece is leaving behind catastrophic austerity, it is leaving behind the fear and the autocracy, it is leaving behind five years of humiliation and pain".

Syriza’s win is clearly a vote against the core policy for dealing with the Eurozone crisis as devised by Brussels and Germany.

Following his victory, the euro fell to $1.11 against US dollar – the lowest in more than 11 years.

In Germany, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said he hoped "the new Greek government will not make promises it cannot keep and the country cannot afford".