Twenty five SYRIZA lawmakers mainly from Left Platform of former Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis split from the party Tsipras’ party on Friday morning and formed their own independent group with the name “Popular Unity”. The anti-Memorandum party will run for the elections called on Thursday after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras submitted his resignation to the President of the Republic.
Among the prominent MPs of the Popular Unity are ex social security minister Stratoulis, Drachma-supporters Lapavistas, Leoutskos, as well as ex deputy Finance Minister Nandia Valavani.
Ex Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis does not seem willing to join the “Popular Unity”, while it is unclear what are the intentions of Parliament Speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou who have repeatedly voted against the bills of SYRIZA and the creditors.
Greek media reported this morning, that four more SYRIZA MPs were expected to join Lafazanis’ party.
With 25 MPs “Popular Unity” is now the third party in the Greek Parliament, with Golden Dawn and To Potami having only 17 MPs each.
Negotiations to form a new Greek government
While ex PM Tsipras was planning to resign and call for early elections, main opposition leader Evangelos Meimarakis from conservative New Democracy decided to spoil Tsipras’ plans and claimed the mandate from the President to seek and form a new coalition government.
If Meimarakis fail in his attempts to form a coalition, Lafazanis can theoretically claim also a mandate to form a new government. But practically, hardly any analyst believe that the so-called Drachma-Lobby would lead the next Greek government and avoid elections.
By submitting his resignation, PM Tsipras in fact returned his mandate after the January 25th elections. It is perfectly legal that the President will give now the mandate to the other two biggest parties in the Greek Parliament.
Procedure to form a government
Article 37 of the Greek constitution stipulates the procedure for attempts to form governments after a national legislative election. The Greek constitution stipulates that the largest party in relative terms of the voting result, shall be given a chance to negotiate the formation of a government within three days. Failing that, the second largest party will get a chance within the next three days and if this attempt also fails the third biggest party will get a further three days to try and form a government. If neither of the three largest parties can succeed in forming a government, the baton will be handed over to the president for a last neutral attempt to form a government, where he will meet with all party leaders. If this attempt fails as well, a temporary caretaker government will be formed with the purpose of setting up a date for a new legislative election.
If this attempt fails, then, according to article 37 paragraph 3 in the constitution of Greece, the president will try to form a temporary caretaker government with all parties for the purpose of preparing for an election. If this fails yet again the President of the Supreme Administrative Court, the President of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court or the President of the Court of Audit, will be called to form a temporary caretaker government with the widest available support in order to prepare for a new election. (source)
Anyway, the negotiations of New Democracy and possibly of Popular Unity to form a government may delay Tsipras’ plans to hold the snap elections on 13. or 20. September 2015.
If the Greece goes to elections despite the efforts to form a new government, the Popular Unity is expected to call for alliances of the Greek left, most possibly with far-left ANTARSYA and some SYRIZA components that are disappointed from the pro-austerity U-turn of Tsipras.
Are there opinion polls indicating the vote that SYRIZA and Popular Unity would get if the elections were held today?
the which opinion polls?
I was just wondering if such opinion polls exist.
The split of SYRIZA into a Tsipras-led party and anti-bailout party was possible to anticipate for over a month now. I was curious if some pollsters have asked the voters whom they would support.
it’s not that simple and cannot be done within 12 hours. no recent poll published later than beginning of July/or July 13th I think
Please ask the Germans to make opinion polls, it’s funny enough that the European media permanently report about Tsipras’ “huge support” and citing old opinion polls, they held their readers all for stupid.
I honestly think that what Greece desperately needs is a major political party that will campaign at the next election for Greece to consider a Euro exit if no accommodation on further austerity can be found. I think the people of Greece need to be given the opportunity to indicate whether a Euro exit is something they want to consider if all other measures to ease austerity fail. Without such a mandate all any government is going to be able to do is sign up to ever more severe austerity imposed by an EU that puts the Euro before the people of Greece.
The problem with euro exit is that its short term consequences will be terrible. Greeks have already been punished by the vindictive Germans and their satellite states, and this additional punishment could have very nasty socio-political consequences. Without imports, the hospitals cannot provide medical services; without imports, the productive base is destroyed; without imnports, there can be no exports; without imports, tourism will be damaged (as Greece will not be at the standard required).
Of course, the Germans (most notably the pig in the wheelchair) are pushing for the Greek people to leave the eurozone voluntarily: this is because the Germans cannot find a legal way to push Greece out. Thus, eurozone exit is not a solution — but it may yet happen owing to the pure nastiness and stubborn arrogance of Germany. Any Greek political party offering Grexit needs to have the total support of the people, and an awareness that things will get very very bad — much worse than now.
I fully agree with you, Grexit is probably the lesser evil. The prize is always high for wrong decisions in foreign policy, because correction is more difficult than in home policy and needs more craft and strength. Concerning the old man in the weelchair, you cannot change him! He is not alone and more than 70 o/o of the Germans are in his favor, he never was more popular. So what is the German problem of today? I tried to think it over again and came to the conclusion that the strength and power of Germany is not at least the result of the weakness of Europe (no Government, no national will, no efficient law machine etc,). Europe was not strong enough and not prepaired to control the German giant after the reunification. France and -less Britain – were dreaming that they could be the master of Europe forever and alone! Revenge is sweet.
Opinions polls are crazy, in one came out that 70% of Green voters support Merkel, created by a stupid question and the last one about a “3rd bailout” to Greece makes no difference between the voters who are against it because they support Grexit only because they want their own currency back or Greecehaters or people who know that were are still 20 billions of German banks at risk in Greece or people who oppose austerity aso
Just take it a step further and exist also from the Drachma, if most people are poor there is no need to have any currency that will also only lead to more debts; if special medicine is needed just make copies and stick the finger to the rights-owners as they are the same pricks that stole the culture of corn from the Indians.
POPULAR UNITY sounds GREAT MAN !
Will the Greek voters trust them enough to actually vote for them ?
Or will the election be rigged ?