Political agreement is close on a tax on financial transactions after talks on Saturday (Sep 12) between finance ministers of the 11 European Union countries willing to introduce the levy, EU Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told reporters.

Greeks go to the polls on September 20 with former prime minister Alexis Tsipras seeking a stronger mandate to implement unpopular reforms needed to secure the 86 billion euros ($97 billion) rescue program.

Finance ministers from Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain have met several times to strike a deal, so far to no avail.

According to a poll on Friday, Tsipras’ radical-left Syriza party has established a narrow lead over conservative rivals New Democracy, both of which support the bailout.

He was adamant that renegotiation of the deal sealed last month is “not possible”.

Tsipras triggered the early poll with his August 20 resignation when his party split over austerity measures forced by the bailout.

The Greek finance ministry meanwhile welcomed the talks in Luxembourg.

Caretaker Finance Minister Giorgos Houliarakis assured his counterparts that any non-legislative work is being done in Athens so that no time will be lost once a new government is in place, sources said.

The European Commission oversees Greece’s third bailout along with the ECB and the eurozone’s ESM bailout fund. The Washington-based International Monetary Fund is expected to join the programme after the first review, set for October.

“We must be ambitious on the timing of the first Greece program review, without being any less ambitious on the substance”, said Moscovici.

But this would then bring tense negotiations on how to scale back the debt, with eurozone nations insisting this be done only by extending maturities.