Thursday, July 16, 2015

New Elections in Greece Possible in September or October

A general view of the Greek parliament

© REUTERS/ Alkis Konstantinidis
Politics
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Greece's Gordian Knot: Syriza Tackles Austerity (314)
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Greeks might be again invited to cast their ballots in September or October, Greek Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis said Thursday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The interior minister was quoted as saying by local media while speaking to radio station Kokkino:
"If it is not in September, it will be in October. It's very possible there will be elections, but this will be the result of the overall — not only from the government — insight as to the general developments."
On Wednesday night, the Greek parliament voted in support of a new package of bailout measures, paving the way for more financial aid from its international creditors. Of the 300 Greek lawmakers, 229 voted in support of the bill, 64 voted against it, including Parliamentary Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou and the country’s former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, while six abstained.
There is "a matter of political and institutional commitment in relation to the recovery of economic stability. The prime minister signed an agreement by which we disagree, and it should be put into practice in our presence," Voutis stressed.
On Monday, Eurozone leaders reached an agreement on a third bailout package for Greece, estimated at $95 billion over the next three years, which stipulated the Greek parliament to approve unpopular austerity measures – including pension reforms and VAT increases – by the end of Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on his fellow parliamentarians to adopt the new package of measures even if they lack belief in it. The left-wing Syriza party, led by Alexis Tsipras, came to power after winning the January parliamentary elections, promising to free the country of unpopular austerity measures.
On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he was forced to choose between the tough terms proposed by the international lenders and bankruptcy that would be followed by Greece's exit from the Eurozone.

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