Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Greek opposition, has pledged to legalize same-sex marriage with complete parental rights should his party, Syriza, emerge victorious in the upcoming general election. This commitment would make Greece the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to recognize same-sex marriage. Tsipras stated in a video message that his government would grant same-sex couples the legal right to marry. In addition, he cited the resolution passed by the European Parliament in 2021, which exhorted EU member states to adopt and implement full legal harmonization policies for same-sex couples with those granted to the general population.

Most countries in western Europe have legalized same-sex marriage, but Italy and Greece have only recognized civil partnerships, as have the majority of EU members in eastern Europe. In recent weeks, following a train derailment, Tsipras has fallen behind Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the polls, while Mitsotakis is presently in the lead.

Tsipras’s campaign has shifted voter attention to social problems after strict financial restrictions on EU aid lenders were relaxed last year. Mitsotakis has promised to increase the frontier barrier between Greece and Turkey. Despite strong resistance from the Greek Orthodox Church and government conservatives, Greece approved same-sex civil unions in 2015.