Greece's Tsipras gets pre-election blessing from European left

ATHENS (Reuters) - Leading politicians from the European left will share a platform with Greece's Alexis Tsipras on Friday evening, reinforcing the former prime minister's radical credentials when he concludes his election campaign with a rally in central Athens. Tsipras and his conservative rival, New Democracy leader Vangelis Meimarakis, are neck and neck in opinion polls going in to Sunday's national ballot. Topping the bill from abroad at the event on Syntagma Square next to parliament will be Pablo Iglesias, leader of the anti-establishment Podemos party currently polling third in Spain on around 15 percent. He will be joined by veteran German leftist Gregor Gysi, a leading political figure during the transition years of Soviet-era East Germany and now a lawmaker for communist successor party Die Linke, and French Communist Party leader Pierre Laurent. The three politicians will "stand by Syriza's side" and Iglesias will make a brief statement, the party said in a statement. Elected on an anti-bailout platform in January, Tsipras eventually led Greece into a deal with international creditors on a third financial rescue. He triggered Sunday's election by resigning in search of a stronger, more centrist mandate after some Syriza lawmakers, unable to accept his bailout U-turn, broke away to form their own party. (Reporting by John Stonestreet; Editing by Mark Heinrich)