Mitsotakis: Yes to television debate, but with all main candidates present

"We're not a presidential democracy, where the two remaining candidates compete for who will be elected president... we're a Parliamentary democracy and respect for Parliamentary procedures necessitate a debate with all of Parliament's political leaders," Mitsotakis said from Crete, where he was conducting a campaign tour.

The pro-market and pro-reform Mitsotakis and his poll-leading ND party have ruled out the prospect of numerous debates and the one-on-one format with Tsipras, whose hard left SYRIZA party suffered two successive election defeats over two weeks recently and which is faring poorly in opinion polls.

Conversely, Tsipras and SYRIZA have demanded the televised debate, viewed as a venue where the former can vie for a much-needed fillip heading towards the ballot boxes.