Anti-austerity parties join forces

Panagiotis Lafazanis, a former minister and SYRIZA defector who last year launched a party called Popular Unity, has joined forces with Alekos Alavanos, one-time mentor of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who leads another small party, Plan B, which supports Greece’s return to the drachma.

The two men are said to be planning joint political initiatives following a meeting on Friday night.

Popular Unity, which failed to enter Parliament in general elections last September, issued a statement after the meeting saying the party leaders discussed the “tragic dead-ends that the country and the Greek people face due to the disastrous austerity policies of the Tsipras government.”