Yanis Varoufakis

Friends, associates, and various public figures told Mr. Tsipras that Mr. Varoufakis was a dreamer with ideological fixations who would damage the country and him.

The result is a harsh defeat for SYRIZA and a crushing defeat for PM Alexis Tsipras who single-handedly  ran the campaign, criss-crossing the country and running on a class-based platform

Alavanos charged that before the elections Tsipras 'offered ribbons and lollipops hoping to lure the electorate', and said that SYRIZA is 'the most poisonous opponent of the Left'.

The ex-finance minister lambasted the defence minister, describing him as an extreme-right populist, and comparing him to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.