Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Greek PM warns hardliners with snap vote to approve reforms

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on July 29 said he would hold early elections if hardliners in his party continued to resist an unpopular new bailout deal that promised debt relief.

“If we do not have a parliament majority I will be forced, we will be forced to hold elections,” Tsipras said in a two-hour interview with Sto Kokkino radio.

He added that under the terms of the EU-IMF agreement signed on July 12, Greece after November could expect a reduction of its huge public debt in addition to up to 86 billion euros ($95 billion) in funds, following a first assessment of reforms.

Tsipras faces strong resistance from a sizeable faction of his leftist Syriza party that rejects the new bailout as contrary to the government’s anti-austerity promises.

In response, the 41-year-old premier has called for an emergency party congress to confirm the government’s strategy, adding that this would “to a great extent” determine whether early elections will have to be held to take the country forward.

 “I would be the last person to want elections if I had a guaranteed parliamentary majority on a plan to complete (my) four-year term... That includes completing the (rescue) program,” he said.

Earlier this month, Tsipras saw more than 30 of his 149 lawmakers mutiny in two separate votes in parliament to approve tax hikes, a pension overhaul and administrative reforms tied to the bailout, effectively rendering his coalition a minority government.

On July 29 he said he faced “surreal” behavior from some of his party cadres who claimed to support the government while voting against the measures to preserve their “ideological purity”.

Tsipras said the Syriza congress would probably be held in September.

A possible demand by hardliners for a party decision before the bailout agreement is finalized and ratified by parliament was tantamount to “making the bomb explode in (my) hands,” he said.

The main challenge to Tsipras comes from his party’s euroskeptic wing, headed by 63-year-old former senior Communist Panagiotis Lafazanis.


Lafazanis, who was ousted as energy minister this month after publicly opposing the bailout deal, is believed to control around a third of the party.

  AFP
  hurriyetdailynews.com
29/7/15
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3 comments:

  1. Tsipras admite antecipar eleições caso não recupere maioria...

    O primeiro-ministro grego, Alexis Tsipras, disse, esta quinta-feira, que o seu Governo será forçado à convocação de eleições antecipadas caso não recupere a maioria parlamentar que perdeu nas duas últimas votações sobre as reformas exigidas pelos credores.

    "Se não tivermos maioria parlamentar, seremos forçados a eleições", disse Tsipras, em entrevista à rádio Sto Kokkino, identificada com o Syriza, no poder. No entanto, irá tentar convencer os deputados do seu partido que se opuseram ao acordo com os credores internacionais (Comissão Europeia, Banco Central Europeu, Mecanismo Europeu de Estabilidade e Fundo Monetário Internacional) a voltarem a apoiar o Governo nas reformas que se perspetivam.

    No entanto, o líder do partido da esquerda radical - que venceu as legislativas de janeiro e elegeu 149 dos 300 deputados -, reconheceu que os compromissos do "acordo de Bruxelas" de 13 de julho conduziram a uma situação que poderá implicar a convocação de eleições antecipadas.

    Nas duas votações no parlamento sobre os programas de reformas, que os credores internacionais exigiram como condição prévia para o início das conversações sobre um terceiro resgate avaliado em 86 mil milhões de euros por três anos, mais de 30 deputados do Syriza decidiram votar contra.

    Os projetos em discussão acabaram por ser aprovados com os votos dos deputados dos Gregos Independentes (Anel, parceiro de coligação) e dos representantes de três partidos da oposição (Nova Democracia, Pasok e To Potami)...............http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=4705017&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JN-ULTIMAS+%28JN+-+Ultimas%29&page=-1
    29/7/15

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pressed by left, Greece's Tsipras vows 'thus far and no further'...

    Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, struggling to contain a revolt in his left-wing Syriza party, said on Wednesday that his government would not implement reform measures beyond those agreed with lenders at a euro zone summit this month.

    Tsipras faces a tough Syriza central committee session on Thursday with many activists angered by his acceptance of bailout terms more stringent than those voters rejected in a July 5 referendum.

    In a clear warning to Syriza rebels, Tsipras said he could be forced to call early elections if he no longer had a parliamentary majority, and suggested an emergency party congress could be held in early September..........Reuters............channelnewsasia.com
    29/7/15

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tsipras droht mit Neuwahlen...

    Alexis Tsipras ist genervt vom linken Flügel seiner Partei Syriza. Sollten die Abgeordneten weiter gegen Reformen und Sparprogramme stimmen, müsse er Neuwahlen ausrufen, droht der griechische Ministerpräsident.

    Der griechische Regierungschef Alexis Tsipras und seine Regierung kämpfen momentan gleich an zwei Fronten. Auf der einen Seite verhandelt Athen mit den Gläubigern, um ein drittes Hilfsprogramm. Auf der anderen droht der Richtungsstreit in Tsipras' Syriza-Partei zu eskalieren. Inzwischen schließt der Ministerpräsident angesichts des Widerstandes des linken Parteiflügels gegen das von den Geldgebern verordnete Reform- und Sparprogramm vorgezogene Neuwahlen nicht mehr aus.
    Der linke Syriza-Flügel hatte im Parlament in Athen zweimal gegen Reform- und Sparmaßnahmen gestimmt. Das könne so nicht weitergehen, sagte Tsipras am Mittwoch in einem Interview des parteieigenen Radiosenders „Sto Kokkino“. Es sei surreal, wenn einige Abgeordnete des linken Parteiflügels im Parlament gegen die Regierungspolitik stimmten, zugleich aber erklärten, sie würden die Regierung unterstützen. Sollte das nicht aufhören, sehe er keine andere Möglichkeit als Neuwahlen, sagte Tsipras weiter...............http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/griechenland-tsipras-droht-mit-neuwahlen/12121206.html

    ReplyDelete

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