To tell you the truth right away… I am not surprised! After five years of loan agreement with the Troika, strict austerity in the name of bailout programs and several elections, I can only stress: We, Greeks, have been there and seen that! That is that some European lender tries to intervene in the political developments of the debts-ridden country and influence the voters. I can well remember the interventions before the elections of May and June 2012 and if I am not wrong it was primarily Germany who tried to put voter sunder pressure. Nowadays it is he himself personal, the head of European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker. The man who helped multinational companies tax evade millions and million of euros and dollars comes to raise a finger and teach Greek voters a…lesson.
According to EUobserver, Jean-Claude Juncker warned Greek voters against electing “extreme forces” into power, he said that he would prefer “known faces” and stressed that he “would like Greece to be ruled by people who have an eye and a heart for the many little people in Greece”.
Juncker: Greece should avoid ‘wrong outcome’ in elections
BRUSSELS – EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Greece against electing “extreme forces” into power and said he would prefer “known faces” – so far the strongest intervention of the EU top brass in the Greek campaign.
“I think that the Greeks – who have a very difficult life – know very well what a wrong election result would mean for Greece and the eurozone,” Juncker said during an Austrian public tv debate with EUobserver and several other Brussels-based journalists.
He steered clear of explicit political advice ahead of presidential elections in Greece next week but said: “I wouldn’t like extreme forces to come to power.”
The presidential elections – to be held in the Greek parliament on 17 December – could trigger early parliamentary elections, if there are three failed attempts to elect a president.
The far-left Syriza, which wants Greece’s debt erased and an end to austerity measures, is topping the polls. Markets are already jittery at the prospect of Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras coming to power.
Asked if Syriza and Tsipras qualify as “extreme forces”, Juncker replied: “I would like Greece to be ruled by people who have an eye and a heart for the many little people in Greece and who also understand the necessity of European processes.” (full article in EUobserver)
Hilarious… if it wasn’t for the green light now Juncker gives to all EU hillbilly partners of the “little people in Greece” to join a campaign of fear mongering before the President and parliamentary elections.
As I said in the beginning of the post: Been there, seen that!
Greece has received the greatest help from europe and imf any country ever got. For many public employees and retired people, if there is many money each month, is just because other eurozone peple pay. If greeks want to see the result of extreme left policies, money printing without limit, excessive public sector, just look at venezuela and argentina.
glad you’re able to post a comment. I reset the comments-plugin just yesterday.
You call the bailout loans help? All they did was further enslave the Greeks and further fill the politicians pockets. Thanks for nothing Europe. Greece needs a change, not the same old ND vs PASOK of the last 2 decades. If Syriza is going to be that change, so be it, give it a try. We are ready.
More than ready! Even the old people :))
Thanks Didier :))))) You are right: Goldman Sachs needs all the help it can get!!!!
The Presidential election is a purely internal affair, instigated early by the incumbent government either to try and force the issue in their favour through fear, or to knowingly and deliberately bail out of government, due to, as yet, unannounced circumstances. Time will tell which it will be, but whatever, EU ‘luminaries’ such as Juncker, should keep their uninvited, unelected noses out of sovereign states business.
Thanks a lot
(corrected comment) : I am not interested in commenting Juncker words, even i think they are likely have the opposite effect that he looks for.
In the 2013 misery index, Greece is 10th, Spain 7th, Argentina 4th, Venezuela first…For a concrete look at the result of populism, people can look at (youtube link) I have never been in Greece, but I know well Argentina and finally now i leave in Spain, where i have never seen such misery than in Argentina. The misery index is of course an approximation that can be discussed, as a lot of people have unofficial business or jobs. I hope Greece debt with ECB, europe governments and also IMF can be lowered in some smooth way (increasing maturities, lowering rates again) and even more that a lot of real investments will arrive, mixing public and private funds, instead of creating only public jobs. I don’t know if Syriza is less extreme than Podemos in Spain, worse
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/11286477/Greek-candidate-willing-to-call-European-leaders-bluff.html), but if i compare with the policies in Argentina, Venezuela, i know the likely result and of course the danger for all Eurozone.
Argentina is in a 300% DIFFERENT situation. Better still, it even has its own currency. Sorry, no comparison. Unless you are rooting for the New York judge of course. If so, I suggest you go to Kathimerini English editionand help Alexis Papachelas spread the neo-liberal ‘good news’. Unlike Alexis you’ll have to do it for free though….
This article is based on information I clearly supplied to you earlier. How come I do not even get a hat tip
what information?
Greece needs a change. But more than this: European Union needs a deep change. Otherwise, it will be the end of the “European dream”. European people simply cannot tolerate German interference (in the past) and today’s interference of President Juncker in domestic affairs of a state-member. The Union is made of equal parts. We strongly welcome a European Germany, not a German Europe!
Amen!
where is the Europe Union public prosecutor?
Do you have any video of that? I’d love to find out some additional information.