Showdown: Greek political leaders brace themselves for Wednesday’s debate!

The political campaign ahead of the September 20 snap elections in Greece is gathering pace and momentum as the political rhetoric intensifies. The debate on Wednesday night is expected to be a crucial point in the campaign as seven political party leaders face six Greek journalists representing different channels.

The leaders:

Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras
Conservative New Democracy (ND) leader Evangelos Meimarakis
Socialist PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata
Centrist To Potami (River) party leader Stavros Theodorakis
Communist Party (KKE) leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas
Right-wing anti-austerity Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos
* The neo-fascist Golden Dawn party leader Nikos Michaloliakos will not participate due to his political trial on charges of heading a criminal organization

The journalists:

Olga Tremi (MEGA)
Maria Choukli (ANT1)
Anthony Schroeder (ALPHA)
Mara Zacharea (STAR)
Sia Kosioni (SKAI)
Makis Giobazolias (E)

The six members representing the media had their own meeting at the Greek state radio and TV (ERT) network studio on Tuesday. They met with Panos Haritos who will chair the TV event.

Questions
There will be five cycles of questions directed to leaders (in order of their parliament majority) and then leaders will be given the opportunity to direct questions to each other. It is expected that Tsipras will gather most of the fire from his political opponents.

Thematic units of the debate:
1st: Economy, Development, Unemployment
2nd: Education, Health
3rd: Administration, Social Policy
4th: Migration policy, refugees
5th: Foreign policy, defence
6th: Free question time
7th: Leaders question each other

Time
The debate kicks off at 9 p.m. and will run through to midnight. Questions will be of half minute duration with leaders given roughly 90 seconds to respond. Each leader will have 12 minutes to convince voters why he will be the best choice for Greece.