Alexis Tsipras secures mandate to form government

Alexis Tsipras has received the formal mandate to form a government for the second time this year, after his left-wing Syriza party won Greece’s elections with an unexpectedly wide margin.

Syriza’s victory marks a personal triumph for Tsipras, who served as prime minister between January and August — a tumultuous period that saw Greece’s future in the eurozone come under real threat and strict banking controls imposed.

At 41, Tsipras dominates Greek politics despite a major policy U-turn that saw him go against the anti-austerity platform that swept him to power in elections in January in return for a multi-billion bailout that keeps Greece in the eurozone.