http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/euroblown-new-yes-and-no-perhaps-threat-from-imf-to-greece-10/
EUROBLOWN: New ‘yes and no perhaps’ threat from IMF to Greece:
Greek politicians told to ignore electorate or lose out
“The IMF is threatening Greece that they will stop paying bailout instalments if the new government disagrees with the future austerity measures as outlined,” an IMF official to the Dow Jones news agency said last night (writes The Greek Reporter)
According to the news agency, the creditors will wait until Greek parties form the new government, but they do not intend to change their plans. On the contrary, they call on Greeks to obey the ‘rules’ and observe the pledges.
So then, they’re keeping an open mind? Well actually, perhaps they are. For the same official stated that the IMF will visit Greece as soon as there is a new government and they would then be ready to negotiate. Otherwise, they will not give any more loans to Greece.
Er….right. That’s Lagarde’s IMF for you: unequivocal equivocation, with the accent on vocal.
And as you probably saw, Samaras ‘failed’ to form a Coalition yesterday. Also written as ‘Samaras doesn’t want to build an anti-Troika Coalition, because that would mean the end of the Brussels gravy-train.’
So much for elections. Onwards into another bollocks-crammed day….
and....
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/8/55394
2.10pm Alexis Tsipras has arrived at the presidential mansion, where he will be received by President Papoulias at 2pm. The president will hand him the exploratory mandate to allow him attempt to form a government.
Later, Tsipras, who heads the Radical Left Coalition, will meet Fotis Kouvelis (Democratic Left), which is represented in parliament, as well as two parties that failed to cross the 3 percent threshold in Sunday's elections: Louka Katseli's Social Pact and the Ecogreens.
Tomorrow, he will meet business and trade union leaders, and on Thursday with other leaders: Antonis Samaras (New Democracy), Evangelos Venizelos (Pasok) and Aleka Papariga (Communist Party).
1.50pm Our political correspondent, George Gilson, has just filed today's Press Watch, a review of the Greek press. He writes:
The frenzied push to form a coalition government dominated headlines, with most of the press suggesting that repeat elections in June are a fairly likely possibility.
1.05pm Who is Alexis Tsipras? We had a look through our online archives to see what we could come up with. His first mention in the Athens News was on 13 October 2006, in a piece on the 2006 local elections. Tsipras was then lead candidate of the Left Coalition (Synaspismos, now the largest component of the larger Radical Left Coalition, or Syriza). This is what we wrote:
Alexis Tsipras, the 31-year-old Synaspismos candidate, said that whoever wins the elections in Athens "we shall be the real opposition, an opposition that will be lively and energetic, that will be built collectively with principles".
Tsipras garnered ten percent of the vote, doubling his predecessor's performance.
The first profile of Tsipras in the paper was penned by Kathy Tzilivakis in February 2007, after he had been elected Synaspismos leader, by defeating Fotis Kouvelis. The article was entitled A leader for a new age, and his youth and unconventional appearance was something always remarked on back then:
Alexis Tsipras enjoys whizzing through town on his motorcycle and says he hates the formal garb of suit and tie.
And his plans in 2007 certainly rang through on Sunday night:
Tsipras has pledged to build a stronger left, possibly attracting people from all sides of the opposition. The crisis in Pasok could work in the left's favour.
12.30pm As we said earlier, Alexis Tsipras will hold meetings with party leaders today. It's a somewhat bizarre situation as he will certainly meet Antonis Samaras, the New Democracy leader, even though the two met yesterday. This time round, Tsipras will direct the conversation.
It's unsure whether Aleka Papariga (below), the Communist Party (KKE) chief, will accept an invitation from Tsipras after her refusal to Samaras yesterday.
The KKE central committee gave its initial reaction to the vote yesterday (it will take some time for the party to work out its final position, it said). It found that the reversal in fortunes of the two big parties did not constitute a reversal of policy. It reiterated that it will not take part in any government and said that the party needs to prepare itself for new elections. The party said that the election showed two things: that the logic of punishment won out and that there is an illusion out there that quick fixes exist. It also said that Syriza would contribute to the "restoration of social democracy", which from the Communist perspective, is heresy.
10.30am The head of the IMF's mission to Greece has asked for a transfer to another posting in another country, the daily business daily Imerisia has reported this morning. The paper quotes Vicky Pryce, a Greek-born City economist and former joint head of the UK Government Economic Service, as saying:
"I have learned that Poul Thomsen, with whom I shared a panel on a recent discussion on Greece at the London School of Economics, requested a move six months ago to another country. I don't know when he'll leave."
10am Now for something different. One of the greatest upsets in Sunday's election was the performance of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. The party took 6.97 percent, which bags them 21 seats in parliament. On Sunday night, the party leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, chastised journalists, who had earlier been ordered to stand to attention when he entered the room – or else leave.
He delivered a chilling message: “To those who betrayed this country, we say it is time for them to be afraid. We are coming for them.”
Less worringly, he also seemed to struggle with the pronunciation of the Latin term Veni, vidi, vici. He glanced down at his notes as he got to the third word, which he renderered as "Vicky".
9.15am The big news yesterday was that the New Democracy leader, Antonis Samaras (below, L), failed to form a coalition government. After talks with Alexis Tsipras (Syriza, below R), Evangelos Venizelos (Pasok) and Fotis Kouvelis (Democratic Left), Samaras has now handed back the exploratory mandate to President Karolos Papoulias. "We did everything we could," Samaras said. "It was impossible (to form a government). I handed back the mandate."
The Independent Greeks and the Communist parties rejected the invitation for talks from Samaras, who didn't invite Golden Dawn.
and reading Press Watch , the view is repeat elections in june the likely outcome after the first rounds of talks.....
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/55395
| Press Watch, May 8 | |||||
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The frenzied push to form a coalition government dominated headlines, with most of the press suggesting that repeat elections in June are a fairly likely possibility.
The exploratory, three-day mandates to form a government, which the president of the republic gives the leaders of the top three parties in the event of a hung parliament, are in full swing. New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras received the first mandate yesterday but returned it within hours, as it proved impossible to form a government with either the Radical Left Coalition (Syriza), Pasok or the Democratic Left party.
Today, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras will receive the mandate, valid until Friday, and he says he will exhaust the three-day period. Tsipras will first approach other leftist parties (the Communist Party (KKE) and the Democratic Left) – but also extraparliamentary leftist parties – in an effort to form a leftwing government. But the numbers do not add up. The KKE has ruled out participating in a coalition. Kouvelis has left open the possibility of a cooperation based on an agreed programme, but his terms are not crystal clear.
The top objective of the parties that receive the exploratory mandate is to avoid being blamed for triggering new elections, due to the failure to form a government.
"Exploratory mandates a hot potato" concluded Ta Nea's headline. The report said that Samaras held the mandate for just six hours. "Alexis, form a government, we will support you" read another front-page title, which suggested that ND leader Samaras and Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos would give a Syriza government a tolerance vote (they would not vote it down in a confidence vote). But the government that receives a tolerance vote must, under the constitution, have at least 120 parliamentary seats, and the left does not. "'Nein [No] from Merkel on renegotiation of the memorandum" read another front-page title.
"The will of the people should not be altered" declared the headline of leftwing Avgi, an organ of Synaspismos, the main component of the Syriza coalition. The report said that Samaras, Venizelos and the association of industrialists are targeting Tsipras, so as to neutralise the majority, anti-memorandum vote, and to set up a "disguised government of the troika". It must be said, as well, that columnists in the pro-Pasok press have unleashed vitriolic attacks against Tsipras, presumably with the hope that a chunk of Syriza voters will return to Pasok in the event of a repeat election.
"Clear solutions with elections on June 17" declared tabloid Avriani's headline. The paper quoted Tsipras as saying that the troika should not dare to start blackmailing the Greek people again (with threats of expulsion from the euro etc).
"New elections a painful choice" declared pro-ND daily Eleftheros Typos, which like other papers viewed a repeat election as likely. "Europe and the IMF must take a second look at the memorandum" read another title, quoting European Commissioner Michel Barnier.
"Messages about a government with the left" read Ethnos' headline. The report said that Venizelos proposed a coalition government with a leftwing premier, but that seemed to many as an effort to avoid being blamed for scuttling the prospect of a coalition with left wing parties (Syriza and Democratic Left), which were the big winners in the elections. The report said that Kouvelis wants a broad, "progressive" majority. It was unclear whether Pasok, which has implemented the harshest neoliberal programme in memory, was considered progressive.
"Mandate to Samaras fruitless" declared Kathimerini's headline. "New tough messages, but understanding as well, from EU leaders" read another front-page title. "The prospect of Greece remaining without a government scares markets" read another. No doubt, the markets were equally anxious about the fact that the electorate in an EU country had dared to defy their dictates.
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