Greece's firebrand opposition leader, Alexis Tsipras, announced his decision Thursday to step down as leader of the left-wing Syriza party, days after a crushing general election defeat.
Tsipras, 48, served as Greece's prime minister from 2015 to 2019 during politically tumultuous years as the country struggled to remain in the euro zone and end a series of international bailouts.
"I have therefore decided to propose the election of a new leadership by the members of the party ... Of course I will not be a candidate," Tsipras said in a televised address.
"I make no secret of the fact that this is a painful decision ... I don't take hasty decisions. I put them under my pillow and torture myself with them first," he added.
In Sunday's general election, Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party received just under 18 per cent of the vote - losing almost half its support over the past four years - while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' winning New Democracy party topped 40 per cent.
"The party must take difficult and courageous decisions, which are called upon to serve a new vision. This obviously concerns me too," Tsipras said.
