Leftist party SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has called for a referendum on the part-privatization plan for PPC, the Public Power Corporation.

Late on Wednesday, Tsipras, whose party now stands as Greece’s main opposition party, said he was preparing to contact the leaders of the country’s other opposition parties – KKE, Independent Greeks, DIMAR – as well as independent MPs, to seek support for his referendum drive.

Tsipras, who was addressing an audience of local government officials and citizens in Amynteo, close to Florina in northern Greece, would need the signatures of 120 MPs, as is demanded by article 44 of the Constitution, to stage a referendum.

“The Greek people, alone, have the right to make such a decision,” remarked Tsipras, referring to the government’s privatization plan, as he attacked the New Democracy-PASOK coalition. “The lies are over. [Prime Minister] Mr. Samaras and [Deputy Prime Minister] Mr. Venizelos will not play around with the future of this country, nor will SYRIZA be the party to shoulder a national catastrophe. They will not make the decision to disintegrate and weaken PPC in private. If they have the guts, then they should make the decision under the light of day,” Tsipras continued.

The SYRIZA leader, whose party emerged victorious in the recent European elections, also attacked the coalition government for “moving in a revengeful fashion and burning whatever it finds before it to hand over scorched land to SYRIZA.”