Tsipras says coalition unnatural as nail-biting election looms

Athens

ALEXIS Tsipras told Greek voters that forming a grand coalition with his arch-rivals would be "unnatural" and that a refusal to do so won't stoke further political turmoil in Europe's most indebted state.

With opinion polls putting his leftist Syriza party neck and neck with conservative New Democracy ahead of next week's elections, the former prime minister whose Aug 20 resignation triggered the snap vote used a two-hour televised debate to defend his seven months as head of government and make a spirited case for re-election.