Greek ruling party set to lose general election

The ruling Syriza party of former prime minister Alexis Tsipras is on course for a shock defeat in the Greek general election scheduled for September 20, a media report said on Saturday.

A survey put the centre-right New Democracy in the lead with 24 percent and Syriza on 23 percent, The Telegraph reported.

Tsipras, who called a snap vote on August 20, has seen his party's comfortable 15 point lead evaporate in just six weeks, putting the centre-right New Democracy in pole position to lead the fifth Greek government in just four years.

However, pre-election polls suggest no single party will win enough support to form a majority government after the September 20 ballot.

Analysts now expect the pro bail-out conservatives, who oversaw the last international rescue and dominated Greek politics before Syriza's landmark election in January, to form a more stable coalition, dramatically reducing the risks of a future eurozone exit.

Tsipras resigned as prime minister on August 27.