Does SYRIZA play with the idea of holding a referendum? Government party MP Sakis Papadopoulos told Greek media on Tuesday morning that in case the review talks end in deadlock, the government could turn again to the people.
“A Referendum might help,” Papadopoulos told private Star TV. Claiming to speak in the name of the party Papadopoulos said that SYRIZA will not vote for additional austerity measures [probably meaning “the 3-billion-euro extra measures the IMF wants]. “We will discuss the package to be voted in the Parliament within the party,” he added.
I can honestly not tell you if Papadopoulos “referendum” is an idea that is shared by many SYRIZA MPs or it is “an isolated incident” as it is often said in official language.
Last week he same MP had threatened to down vote the creditors’ austerity package, if the government would raise the Value Added Tax from 23% to 24%.
With just 153 seats in a parliament of 300, SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government has a very thin majority and cannot afford to lose even one vote.
So far it is only this one SYRIZA lawmaker openly expressing discontent over the measures. IT is not clear what the rest of SYRIZA MPs – a total of 144- think but the party consists of many small groups with ideological, social and economic different point of views.
After Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and other high-ranking officials of the party – among them former ministers- set up the website of the “Movement 53“, some Greek media claimed that the Finance Minister plans to resign from the government. No specific sign confirms this claim, though. For now. The Movement 53 is considered as a fraction close to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
A referendum? Another NO that will turn into YES due to outstanding conditions like “another bankruptcy to the country’s lenders” as in summer 2015?
Politically Greece is in deadlock as it desperately needs the bailout money to pay its lenders in June and July.
Is New Democracy the alternative? ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis insists on early elections in order to bring the country out of this situation.
In order to avoid another “default to ECB and the IMF”, the ND apparently calculates: skip the conclusion of Review Talks, hold early elections -end of May the latest – win the elections, form a government. sign the papers with all creditors’ demands, get the bailout tranche, pay the lenders in June. Country saved!
Hm… I think there is no time for this because then early elections should be declared …ehm… on April 20th the latest.
PS It looks as if SYRIZA and ND want to turn to the people to decide over the austerity program. And then they will skip people’s will and do what they want in this beautiful country with the very long democratic tradition.
long democratic tradition?
i hope you are being ironic…
In our days democracy has two meanings. The backward one, that decisions will be made by majority of popular votes.
And the progressive European one. That things will be decided by enlighted communists and dumb mass must be raped against it,s will into communist paradise.
LOL. I imagine the conversation to go something like this:
“Saki: ti tha kanoume? Ola einai kako…”…
“Alexi, de xerw… Perimene! Eureka!! Ena referendum.”
“Poly kalo idea!”
~
I mean, they cannot be serious!
ND is the alternative to what I wonder.
A Dutch psycho & psycho Troika run the show – yet for EU/NATO’s sake – Greeks still have to pay through the nose for the Appearance of Democracy – i.e. the zombie variety following shock’n’awe. A parliament where there is no opposition, where the result is always the same, but where MPs keep up the appearance of ‘parties’ to fool the Early Onset crowd.
Nah, this is just Musical Chairs: it’s Mitso’s turn, a payrise would be nice, plus lot of pals need payback appointments as “advisors”.