PM dismisses talk of early election
Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Photo: Reuters Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday dismissed talk of an early election over the abrupt closure of the state broadcaster, which brought protests from viewers, workers, the opposition...
[attach id="260648" size="medium"]Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Photo: Reuters[/attach]
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday dismissed talk of an early election over the abrupt closure of the state broadcaster, which brought protests from viewers, workers, the opposition and his coalition partners.
Samaras defended his decision to close ERT and relaunch what he said would be a smaller, more efficient version as a way for Greece to show it was serious about implementing reforms and saving money under the terms of its international bailout.
But a clash between the Prime Minister and his two left-wing coalition partners over when and how to resume public broadcasts has raised the prospect of political turmoil, just a year after Greeks went to the polls, and the derailing of the bailout.
“If some people naively believe that they can trap us into an election dilemma, let them not tire themselves,” Samaras told a gathering of his conservative New Democracy party in the seaside town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese. “Nobody wants it.”
Pasok leader says he is not afraid of an election
The opposition Syriza party said Samaras’s decision to close ERT was “the climax of his authoritarian policy” and urged Greeks to rally in Syntagma square in Athens today, where party leader Alexis Tsipras will deliver a speech.
The Communist-affiliated group Pame has also called a rally near ERT’s headquarters, where workers have been gathering since its closure.
The decision to take the 75-year-old ERT off air at midnight last Tuesday has split the fragile coalition. Both junior partners have said they want to avoid a new vote, although Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos told a Sunday newspaper he “was not afraid” of an election.
“Moves aimed to impress, in violation of basic principles of parliamentary majority, are not reforms,” Venizelos said. The decision to close ERT was made by ministerial decree, meaning it could be implemented without reference to parliament.
Opinion polls show support for all three ruling parties has suffered since last year’s election. No party has enough support to govern alone.