Vassiliki Thanou, head of the Supreme Court in Greece, has been officially sworn-in, as the first ever female prime minister to steer the Greek government towards a new election amid the bailout crisis.
A
decree has been signed setting elections in Greece on September 20,
with parliament due reconvene in October. It's the first time the
country will be run by a female prime minister.
The country's economic future, in the short-term, relies on it
meeting all the demands set by the Troika in return for US$97 billion
dollars in a deal that left radical left wing Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras with no choice but to resign following a rebellion in his Syriza
Party over his agreement with the Troika.
In January 2015, the Syriza party, with Alexis Tsipras at the helm, won the election based on pledging to resist further austerity demands from Brussels. Just seven months later and faced once again with economic collapse and an exit from the Eurozone, Tsipras reneged on his party promises and signed up to even stricter demands from the creditors in return for another bailout. The deal was only approved with the support of pro-European parties — and not his own.
Having been sworn-in to lead the interim government, Vassiliki Thanou's task is to steer the ship until the country goes to the polls during a time when Greece is facing an unprecedented immigration crisis, which Thanou pointed out in her first public comment in office.
"<…> Given the circumstances… I believe that this government
will also have to handle crucial matters", Thanou said, suggesting that
the numbers of refugees arriving on Greek shores is a situation
as unstable and the country's economy. Greece has seen a 750 percent
rise in the number of refugees and migrants arriving on its shores this
year.
But the Syriza party is still topping election polls according to a
survey carried out by ProRata for Efimerida Ton Syntakton newspaper. The
same survey reveals that 68 percent of Greeks want to remain in the
eurozone — despite the increased austerity measures.
The same survey also suggests that despite everything, Tsipras still
remains in the wings as the most popular political leader with 41
percent of voters backing him — but his decision to call a snap poll
to seek a fresh mandate might just cost him the next election
on September 20.
In January 2015, the Syriza party, with Alexis Tsipras at the helm, won the election based on pledging to resist further austerity demands from Brussels. Just seven months later and faced once again with economic collapse and an exit from the Eurozone, Tsipras reneged on his party promises and signed up to even stricter demands from the creditors in return for another bailout. The deal was only approved with the support of pro-European parties — and not his own.
Having been sworn-in to lead the interim government, Vassiliki Thanou's task is to steer the ship until the country goes to the polls during a time when Greece is facing an unprecedented immigration crisis, which Thanou pointed out in her first public comment in office.
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