The Athens press kicked off the last week of the electoral campaign with optimistic reports about the prospects of EU-wide development measures, presumably to persuade voters that there is light at the end of the austerity tunnel.
The press also focused on Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos’ promises of disengagement from the bailout memorandum that he himself helped negotiate.
In another outburst of optimism, Venizelos is now saying that Greece can be out of the woods by 2015. In terms of a post-electoral ruling coalition, the press indicated that Venizelos is playing hard to get, signaling that no one can take Pasok for granted. The Pasok leader has come under fire within his party for suggesting that a coalition is inevitable and that he might accept ND leader Antonis Samaras as premier, under certain conditions.
The campaign speech of Democratic Left leader outside of Athens City Hall yesterday also captured attention. Kouvelis is saying that Greece must stay in the eurozone and the EU, but that it can start renegotiating the terms of the bailout memorandum after the elections, so as to get out of EU-IMF oversight as soon as possible.
An effort to expose the extreme- right Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) party’s neo-Nazi characteristics and to highlight the dangers that it poses also was apparent in some newspapers.
“€200bn euros for development!” proclaimed Ta Nea’s headline. The report indicated that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing mounting pressure to invest in growth projects, and that the EU is mulling over a package of private and public investment that will be discussed at a May summit. “Venizelos’ plan for disengagement from the memorandum” read another front-page title.
“Six day battle for undecided voters” declared Ethnos’ headline. Recent polls have indicated that over 20 percent of the electorate was undecided, when a pre-election ban on publishing poll results came into effect.
“Mockery from Venizelos” opined Eleftheros Typos’ headline. The paper said that the Pasok leader provoked the electorate twice – firstly by apologising only to Pasok voters for their suffering under austerity, and secondly for promising to get the country out of the memorandum, that he himself negotiated, within three years.
“Government of the leftwing to annul the memorandum and restructure society” read Avgi’s headline. It referred to Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) leader Alexis Tsipras’ conviction that a leftist ruling coalition is possible. The Communist (KKE) and the Democratic Left parties, however, have already rebuffed Tsipras’ overtures.
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http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/55235
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| Undocumented immigrants stand inside the Amygdaleza detention camp, in western Athens, 29 April 2012 (Reuters) |
1. TRUST ME In one of the few open-air rallies that he has addressed in this election campaign, the Pasok leader on Sunday said that the "key" to his party's performance lies with "those who voted for Pasok in 2009 and who are disappointed, sceptical, undecided and reserved today". Speaking in Thessaloniki, Evangelos Venizelos appealed to these voters to return to the fold. He said he was "appealing to them now, looking at them in the eyes, telling them the truth, calling on them to trust him, to vote for Pasok again". He also said that it was his intention to wean the country off the memorandum in three years.
2. STRONG MANDATE A strong government is required to give the country stability and to unite the people, the New Democracy leader told an indoor rally in the Cretan city of Irakleio on Sunday. Lashing out at the smaller parties on the left and right, Antonis Samaras said that there "new and old parties that are doing everything so that we shall not get a strong mandate." Greece needs a plan and consistency and pointed out that Pasok has neither of the two. "Who will believe them now, either inside or outside Greece?" he asked.
3. SMALLER PARTIES Reiterating his belief that the elections can produce a left-led government, the Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) head, Alexis Tsipras, on Sunday called on "leftists, communists, Pasok voters, ecologists and anyone else who wants to change the course of things in the country" to back his party. Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance leader, Dora Bakoyannis, told supporters in Rethymno, Crete, that both mainstream parties are "incorrigible".
4. FIRST CAMP OPENED A detention centre for illegal migrants, at Amygdaleza in western Athens, was opened on Sunday. Police took 56 migrants to the camp and dozens more are expected at the site in the next few days, which can house up to 1,000 people. Amygdaleza is the first of about 50 camps that the government says will be built by mid-2013. It consists of dozens of containers that were originally set up to house people hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes. "We are sending a message in every direction that the country is not unfenced anymore," Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said at a rally in Athens.
5. FATAL CAR CHASE Three people were killed in the early morning hours of Sunday after a vehicle in which they were travelling overturned during a police car chase in the northeastern Evros prefecture. Authorities said the driver of the car failed to stop for an inspection along a rural roadway in the borderland prefecture. Police and border agency Frontex officials gave chase, during which the car overturned and burst into flames. Police believe two of the victims were undocumented migrants and the third, possibly, their smuggler. Four other undocumented migrants were seriously injured in the crash: two are Chinese nationals and two Iranian.
6. SHAME Police on Sunday took the unprecedented decision to publish the name and photograph of a 22-year-old woman who allegedly worked as a prostitute and was HIV positive. The woman, a Russian national, was arrested at an illegal brothel at 22 Fokaias St in the centre of the city. The police said that the move was aimed at protecting public health, adding that men who believe they may have had sex with the woman to immediately have a HIV test. The suspect has been charged with grievous bodily harm, among others, and has been remanded in custody.
7. SOCIAL UNREST Social unrest is expected to grow in Europe as governments impose steep welfare cuts and fail to implement policies to reduce unemployment, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation. The annual World at Work Report said there is a deficit of around 50 million jobs worldwide since the global crisis erupted in 2008 and that, even if there is a recovery, it will prove extremely difficult to get these people back to work and to employ the 80 million new people expected to join the labour market.
8. GLOBAL PRIMARY American citizens resident in Greece can participate in a global primary to select the Democratic nominee to fight this year's US presidential election. Conducted by the Democrats Abroad, the global primary election takes place on May 6, a date that coincides with the Greek general election. Voters can choose from a long list of delegates committed to renominating President Barack Obama and a shorter list of uncommitted delegates. The voting centre for Greece will be at the University of Indianapolis Cultural Centre (5 Markou Avriliou St in Plaka). Ballots can be cast in person at the centre from 10am until 5pm on voting Sunday. Members can also vote by requesting an absentee ballot at vote2012@democratsabroad.org by April 30.
9. GREEK CUP Olympiakos overcame Atromitos 2-1 to win the Greek Cup thanks to a goal from substitute David Fuster a minute from the end of extra time on Saturday as they completed a domestic double. Algeria striker Rafik Djebbour had opened the scoring in the 29th minute for the Greek league champions at the Olympic Stadium but Argentine midfielder Walter Iglesias equalised with a deflected shot 15 minutes from time. Both sets of players ran out of steam in the extra period but, with the clock ticking down, Spaniard Fuster rose to head home a cross from his captain Vasilis Torosidis and send the Olympiakos fans into frenzied celebrations.
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Bank deposits stabilize in eurozone periphery, ECB data shows
Firms and consumers stopped pulling their money out of Greek banks in March, European Central Bank data showed on Monday, giving some respite to the country's troubled banking system.
Private sector deposits in Greek banks increased 0.5 percent in March after a near 2.7 percent drop in February, with the total falling inching up to 171.1 billion euros, still 30 percent below their peak in December 2009.
Private-sector deposits in Portugal fell by 1.8 percent to their lowest level since May of last year.
Other countries in the middle of the debt crisis fared better, with Spain, Ireland and Italy posting slight increases.
Monthly fluctuations in the figures are common, though sharp consecutive drops in countries with stable banking systems are unusual.
The data, which are for all currencies combined, are not seasonally adjusted and differ slightly from national central bank figures. The measure excludes deposits from central government and financial institutions. [Reuters]
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