GREECE-VOTE/OPPOSITION Greek opposition welcomes early elections, anticipates "new beginning"
Record ID:
328413
GREECE-VOTE/OPPOSITION Greek opposition welcomes early elections, anticipates "new beginning"
- Title: GREECE-VOTE/OPPOSITION Greek opposition welcomes early elections, anticipates "new beginning"
- Date: 29th December 2014
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (DECEMBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) GREEK OPPOSITION SYRIZA PARTY LEADER, ALEXIS TSIPRAS, LEAVING PARLIAMENT AND WALKING TOWARDS MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) OPPOSITION SYRIZA PARTY LEADER, ALEXIS TSIPRAS, SAYING: "Today the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, which plundered society for two years and which had already committed to new measures, is now history. With the will of the people, in a few days austerity bailouts will also be history. The future has already begun. We should all be optimistic and glad." EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT AS DEPUTIES LEAVE AFTER VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) DEMOCRATIC LEFT PARTY LEADER, FOTIS KOUVELIS, SAYING: "Today's vote marks a new beginning for developments in the country. The country is headed towards parliamentary elections. It must turn a page, and politics must adopt a more progressive outlook. We are working towards this direction." MEDIA FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) INDEPENDENT GREEKS PARTY LEADER, PANOS KAMENOS, SAYING: "Today is a significant day for Greece. A significant day, because the Samaras - Venizelos period is over. This duo, which surrendered the national sovereignty of the country, and accepted being governed through e-mail and orders by the "troika", is leaving the government, thanks to the vote of the Greek lawmakers." MEDIA FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GREEK FINANCE MINISTER, GIKAS HARDOUVELIS, SAYING: "I am not worried. It would have been nice if we had a government that would continue, because everything was rolling fine. We would have closed the review in January, and we would receive the cash that was promised by February. Now everything is delayed. Hopefully the delay is only going to be one month and then we will have a new government. If the new government is the same as the current government, I think it can expedite things. If it is an entirely new government I guess they will take some time to realise what is going on, perhaps a new extension may be required, because the end of February is too tight." EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING
- Embargoed: 13th January 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVACW0HNPXA9XTZUJX8G1LZ9XDRO
- Story Text: Greek opposition leaders on Monday (December 29), welcomed early elections after lawmakers rejected the government's candidate for President, leaving Greece facing a snap election that could derail its bailout programme.
"Today the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, which plundered society for two years and which had already committed to new measures, is now history. With the will of the people, in a few days austerity bailouts will also be history. The future has already begun. We should all be optimistic and glad," opposition Syriza party leader, Alexis Tsipras, told reporters outside Greek parliament following the vote.
"Today's vote marks a new beginning for developments in the country. The country is headed towards parliamentary elections. It must turn a page, and politics must adopt a more progressive outlook. We are working towards this direction," said Democratic Left party leader Fotis Kouvelis.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced plans for an early general election on January 25 after parliament rejected his candidate for president on Monday, throwing the country's international bailout into doubt.
After three rounds of voting, the only candidate in the race, former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas, fell short of the 180 votes needed to become president, triggering a procedure leading to the dissolution of parliament.
Samaras immediately announced that he would meet outgoing President Karolos Papoulias on Tuesday (December 30), to propose holding parliamentary elections on Jan. 25 and called on Greek voters to ensure stability was preserved.
Opinion polls point to a victory by the radical leftist Syriza party, which wants to wipe out a big part of Greece's debt, and cancel the terms of a bailout from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund that Greece still needs to pay its bills.
The result leaves financial markets and Greece's European Union partners facing weeks of uncertainty that could undermine fragile signs of economic recovery and derail its public finances.
Syriza has held a steady lead in opinion polls for months, although its advantage over Samaras' conservative New Democracy party has narrowed in recent weeks.
Weakness among potential coalition partners of both could mean that whichever party wins in January will struggle to form a government and may not survive long.
"I am not worried," said Greek Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis. "It would have been nice if we had a government and we could continue, because everything was rolling fine. We would have closed the review in January, and we would receive the cash that was promised by February. Now everything is delayed. Hopefully the delay is going to be only one month and then we will have a new government. If the new government is the same as the current government, I think it can expedite things," he said.
But he cautioned that any new government under a different party would cause delays with the bailout program's exit and will possibly need an extension.
"If it is an entirely new government I guess they will take some time to realise what is going on, perhaps a new extension may be required, because the end of February is too tight," he added.
Samaras, who had been pushing for an early end to the deeply unpopular bailout programme, brought forward the presidential vote earlier this month, gambling that victory would ease the growing political pressure on his ruling coalition.
A negotiating team from the "troika" of creditors from the European Commission, IMF and European Central Bank, had been due to resume talks in Athens next month to wind up the 240 billion euro ($290 billion) bailout and agree an interim, post-bailout programme. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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