Greece items of interest - upcoming election articles , troika and bankster fears on display and the courage and inspiration of Manolis Glezos !

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-18-04/greece-%E2%80%9Cwe-are-their-greatest-fear%E2%80%9D

Greece: “We Are Their Greatest Fear”

Submitted by testosteronepit on 05/04/2012 11:56 -0400

• Corruption
 
• Eurozone
 
• Greece
 
• Natural Gas
• Recession
 
• Unemployment

Wolf Richter   www.testosteronepit.com

Stelios Bozikis, recently elected Mayor of Zakynthos Town on the island of Zakynthos,discovered that there were 650 blind people on the island—2% of the population, 10 times the rate of blindness in Europe. But only 40 were actually vision impaired. The rest had succeeded in getting themselves declared blind to receive €350 or more in monthly payments. When he stopped payments to the faux blind, they—in another sign of how ingrained corruption is—revolted and threw eggs and yogurt at him. Apparently, the head ophthalmologist at the hospital diagnosed people as blind in exchange for cash. The claims were approved by the governor of the island, Dionysios Gasparos—his way of buying votes. And he is running for election as candidate for the New Democracy party. Read..... Even Corruption Is In A Deep Recession.

So on Sunday, outraged Greeks get to vent their anger at the political elite. After decades of mismanagement and corruption, the two leading parties, the conservative New Democracy and the socialist Pasok, which had been taking turns divvying up the spoils, will take a licking, and neither might get enough votes to govern. In 2009, Pasok had won by landslide. But its support crumbled as troika-imposed reform measures cut into wages and benefits of its power base, public sector employees. New Democracy, according to the latest polls, will likely emerge as the strongest party, but not strong enough. And a record six or maybe even eight other parties that are vigorously campaigning against the reform measures might clear the 3% threshold and enter parliament.

“There are certain misconceptions that worry me: for instance, the misconception that whatever happens, we are not going to leave the euro,” said Evangelos Venizelos, president of Pasok and former Finance Minister. But frustrated voters are searching for alternatives, and they’re finding the Golden Dawn party whose emblem is reminiscent of a swastika—in a country brutalized by the Nazis. And so the neo-Nazis will likely make it into Parliament for the first time in Greek history. While few Greeks sympathize with their neo-Nazi principles, enough like their anti-immigrant stance—and in a desperate effort to hang on to votes, the government hastily opened retention camps for illegal immigrants.

Even the traditional pre-election jump in economic sentiment by households and businesses—a result of the equally traditional vote-buying racket—practically disappeared, according to the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE). The index rose only a tiny bit, to 77.3 from 75.7 in March (with 100 being the average 1996-2006). Racked by record unemployment, lower wages, gruesome suicide reports in the media, and higher taxes, consumers were the most pessimistic in Europe; and 80% expected the economic situation to get even worse. “This time there appears to be no margin for particular optimism,” the IOBE reported dryly.

In a sign of just how gummed up the system has become, another “temporary” pre-election bailout saw the light of the day: €250 million for Public Power Corp, Greece’s exclusive electricity retailer and largest power producer. Hurt by higher fuel costs and wilting demand, it had lost €148.9 million in 2011. And it ran out of money.

The reason: a Greek irony. Last year, as part of the bailout requirements, the government implemented a reviled tax collection method that billed homeowners for property taxes on their electricity bills. If the taxes didn’t get paid, PPC would cut off the juice. In protest, homeowners stopped paying their bills altogether. Due to popular unrest, the juice wasn’t cut off, but PPC’s cash flow collapsed. It stopped paying natural gas suppliers and small power producers that had sprung up following the EU-imposed liberalization of the electricity market in 2007. Producing 23% of the country’s electricity, they threatened to shut down their generators if they weren’t paid. Faced with pre-election power chaos, the government agreed to let PPC hang on to €250 million in property taxes it had already collected and was supposed to transfer to the government.

“Change everything,” was the rallying cry of Antonis Samaras, the leader of New Democracy, at a rally in Thessaloniki, though his party had entered into a coalition with Pasok to advance the reform measures far enough to where the bailout money would flow again. He exhorted his listeners to give New Democracy an absolute majority. And Greek election math might help him: the party with the most votes gets an additional 50 seats in the 300-seat parliament, a big step toward obtaining the 151 seats needed to form a government. It probably won’t be enough. So the party has three days to form a coalition with another party. But....

“We do not want to rule jointly,” Samaras said at the rally. “Those speaking of joint governance do not want anything to change. And we are their greatest fear because we want to change everything.”

However, “solidarity of the union has its limits,” said even soft-spoken Jens Weidmann, President of the Bundesbank. “That’s why we linked the aid to conditions.” And so, Greek voters are facing a dilemma, but new contracts are already reflecting the outcome. Read..... “Drachma Clauses” For Greece’s Exit from the Eurozone.

and.....

ND hits back at IIF report on elections  German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Greece would have to 'bear the consequences' if a government emerges that does not respect its debt deal New Democracy reacted angrily on Friday to a report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF), which suggested that the conservatives and PASOK would have to form a post-election government or call on an administration of technocrats if Greece is going to stick to the terms of its bailout and remain in the euro. The report also indicated that the two-party coalition would have trouble receiving wide public support for its actions, given that the anti-memorandum parties would win the majority of votes on Sunday. The IIF report also suggested that if the post-election landscape is too fragmented for a coalition government to be formed, an administration of technocrats should take over the running of the country in order to ensure stability. ND spokesman Yiannis Michelakis issued a statement condemning the IIF’s report and suggesting that it was an attempt to interfere in the elections. “We are greatly surprised by the references to the Greek elections on May 6 in the IIF’s report,” he said. “We remind the authors of the report that we have a democracy in Greece and we do not need anyone’s instructions.” Michelakis, however, did not comment on a statement by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble that Greece would have to “bear the consequences” if its voters elected a new government that does not respect commitments made by the outgoing coalition. Schaeuble also noted that European Union membership is “voluntary.” New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras rounded off the election campaign with a rally in Alexandroupoli, northeastern Greece. The conservative chief repeated his message to voters to give his party a clear majority. Interior Minister Tassos Yiannitsis said he expects about 12 percent of polling stations will have delivered results by 9.30 p.m. on Sunday. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. A total of 9,850,802 are registered to vote. Almost 360,000 people will be able to vote for the first time and..... Schaeuble says new government must respect pledges 4 May 2012 The alarm bells are well are truly ringing on the continent, as concern over the Greek elections intensifies. (file photo) German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday that Greece would have to "bear the consequences" if its voters elected a new government in an election on Sunday that does not respect commitments made by the outgoing coalition.   In a speech in the western German city of Cologne, Schaeuble said future Greek governments must honour the commitments made to international lenders by the current coalition. made up of the centre-right New Democracy Party and the socialist Pasok party.   Noting that European Union membership is voluntary, Schaeuble also said he did not believe the results of elections on Sunday in Greece and France would in essence have any impact on German financial policies.   Schaeuble reiterated his view that the Spanish government is on the right path of reform but still needs more time. (Reuters) and.... Greek resistance hero fights for Left at age of 89 4 May 2012 Greek war hero Glezos, is gearing up for the elections at the ripe old age of 89. (photo:Eurokinissi) Manolis Glezos takes to the podium with the spry step of a young man, lifts his arms in the air and tells thousands of flag-waving supporters the time has come for the Greek Left to unite and rule.   At 89, the former wartime fighter against Nazi occupation, who is running for the Left Coalition party, hopes Sunday's election will fulfill his lifetime dream.   "It is a unique opportunity for the people to come to power," he told Reuters, encouraged by opinion polls showing angry voters deserting mainstream parties they blame for a dire economic crisis and turning to smaller groups like his.   "We must convince people not to vote for those who brought them to this state," he said. "Those who created this crisis must pay for it. Why should the Greek people pay?"   Seen in the last published polls getting about 10 percent of the vote, the Left Coalition has called on all leftist groups to unite and form a government for the first time in Greek history. So far there have been no takers.   With his white mane of hair and thick moustache, Glezos is a fixture in leftist politics, recently braving police tear gas at protest rallies against tough cuts imposed in exchange for the international bailout that is keeping Greece afloat.   Revered by all political sides as a national treasure, he is most famous for scaling the steep walls of the Acropolis with a friend in 1941 to take down the Swastika and replace it with the Greek flag, the first visible act of resistance against the Nazis occupying Greece. Captured and tortured soon after, Glezos now says Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel have treated Greece badly at its time of need and there must be a change of stance.   "Germany owes us," he said. "Germany today enjoys democracy and is not under Nazism, partly thanks to the Greek people's struggle. Frau Merkel wants to punish us for cancelling Hitler's plans?"   "I want to remind all Europeans that when Italy attacked us there was despair in all of Europe and we were the people who destroyed the myth of the undefeated Axis," he added.   FAR RIGHT THREAT   What saddens him even more than Germany's tough pro-austerity stance is the rise of Golden Dawn, an ultra-nationalist group expected to enter parliament for the first time after tapping public outrage with the big parties.   "It upsets and hurts me very much to see Nazi collaborators show up and ask for the vote of the Greek people," he said. "I remember all those who gave up their lives, their youth so we can be free today."   Asked if Greece would be able to survive without the help of European paymaster Germany and the 130 billion euro EU/IMF bailout, Glezos said politicians had lied about the economy.   "They find money when they want to, even by mismanaging the state. Imagine what would happen if there was good management," he said. "If there is no huge tax evasion and the state doesn't waste money, we can cover all our needs."   Greek voters are set to vote along pro and anti-bailout lines in Sunday's poll. Conservative New Democracy is seen coming first but without enough votes to rule alone. That would likely force it to try to form a coalition with Socialist Pasok, which is seen coming second.   Glezos, who will be 90 in September, says the Greek people are using up their last reserves of strength to survive the economic crisis but patience is wearing very thin.   "They will force a major overthrow, declaring to all that they need no saviours, they need no loan sharks," he said. "Greeks will not tolerate being subjugated to foreigners."   Asked what has kept him at the forefront of politics all these years, Glezos said it was the memories of dead comrades:   "Before every battle, every protest, we told each other: 'If you live, don't forget me'. I am paying a debt to those I lost during those difficult years."   "My only regret is that I haven't done more," he said. (Reuters)