Opposition leader requests mandate in upcoming polls to change Greece

Radical Left SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras on Friday requested a clear mandate in Sunday's general polls "to bring change" to Greece.

SYRIZA leads by an average 4 percent over the conservative New Democracy party of incumbent Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in all recent opinion surveys, but falls short of gaining outright majority in the 300-member strong parliament.

"We need the absolute parliamentary majority, we need a clean mandate so that we are free to implement our policies the day after," Tsipras said at a press conference in Athens, repeating the call he made during his party's last election campaign rally on Thursday evening and in interviews and smaller gatherings in recent days.

Even if SYRIZA wins the elections and an outright majority, the party will seek national consensus, he added.

"Hope has arrived. We will write history ... Sunday will bring a historic triumph of Greek people," Tsipras said on Thursday with Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Spain's anti-austerity Podemos party, by his side who talked about a "wind of change blowing across Europe."

"This is a first historic chance for the Left (to rule Greece after WWII), but it might be the last chance for Greece (to stand on its feet)," Tsipras stressed during the press conference.

He outlined once again his party's vision for social justice, fair taxation, an end to corruption and harsh austerity to tackle the debt crisis over the past five years.

If SYRIZA comes to power, the focus will turn to negotiations with international lenders to make sovereign debt viable, Tsipras underlined.

SYRIZA's call for a new restructuring of the Greek debt has not received a warm welcome among creditors, markets and analysts, refueling scenarios of a Greek exit from the euro zone in case of a clash.

It is most likely a "viable solution which will be to the benefit of both Greece and creditors will be found" before July 2015, Tsipras said on Friday.

Europe also needs to change course, otherwise will face troubles, Tsipras stressed.

During the press conference, SYRIZA's chief also sent a message to the German government which from the start of the crisis seemed in particular adamant that Greece should stick to austerity to achieve fiscal adjustment and restore growth.

When Tsipras was asked whether his first trip abroad will be to Berlin if he wins the upcoming election, he said he will first visit Cyprus, keeping in tradition with previous Greek Prime Ministers.

Tsipras also assured the public that his party does not intend to lead Greece to bankruptcy and Grexit and does not plan to tax bank deposits. Endite