ATHENS – Moving toward the center-left after taking a pounding at the hands of the New Democracy Conservatives who ousted them in the July 7, 2019 snap elections, the Radical Left SYRIZA is changing its name to SYRIZA Progressive Alliance.

In a meeting of the party’s political secretariat, it was decided that leader Alexis Tsipras will put forward the new name at the next political council, said Kathimerini, as he tries to regain favor after being ousted by voters.

The idea is to try to gain support outside its hard-core base that stymied foreign investors during the party's 4 ½ years in power when Tsipras fell out of favor for reneging on anti-austerity promises and pounding workers, pensioners and the poor.

He has approached and been rebuffed by the marginal center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) that is led by veterans of the former PASOK Socialists who fell apart after backing austerity antithetical to its alleged principles so the party could serve New Democracy in a previous election.

With a recent survey showing SYRIZA 19.5 percent behind New Democracy after the Conservatives won international praise for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tsipras has been seen moving toward the center.

It wasn't said whether this will be a name change or a new direction in policy as the party has long opposed NATO – but then helped the defense alliance – and said it would end US military presence in Greece before expanding it during its reign.