It’s the second time in a few years that Europe is facing a Greek government leader because of the “political purity” painful policy by referendum citizens want to submit. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and with him many prominent party member of the leftist Syriza bloc, has constantly indicated in recent months that the “red lines” were not passed. The hard promises that the party for the elections of late January on citizens did, were not to be violated. Now that still threatened, Tsipras has drawn the conclusion and held a referendum.
clientelism
In Tsipras’ perspective here is the ‘purity’ of politics in the proceedings, and that state for several years in a large part of the Greek politicians paramount. They want to take away from the cronyism and corruption that the Greek political mores decades have polluted. The prime minister took office in 2009 as George Papandreou has worked to change the political culture. He tried it from within the social democratic party PASOK. Nota bene, founded by his father Andreas, about the high priest of the patronage.
George Papandreou stunned Europe when he was on Monday October 31 unexpectedly announced a referendum on a package of restructuring measures, which after many months of arduous negotiations on a EU Summit a decision had fallen. Surveys showed that a substantial majority of the population against this package and Papandreou did not mean again a large number of painful measures to push through without the consent of the citizens. The bewilderment in Europe was great. Le Monde reported that President Nicolas Sarkozy “shocked” had responded. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble warned that Athens no tricks had to get out to obtain flexible conditions.
Political purity
Papandreou still hoped to obtain the consent of the Greek citizens, but succumbed to the criticism. Within a week he had to give up his premiership and that was the referendum of the table. Everything indicates that Tsipras for political purity is high priority, in many ways, he is there with his proposal for a referendum, however, very different time than Papandreou. Tsipras has has during the debate Saturday at the parliament in Athens clearly indicated that he just bet on a ‘no’ from the Greek electorate.
According Tsipras go to the IMF demands that Europe and the policy of the Greek Government too far, they damage the already battered economy and would entail a violation of Greek sovereignty.
Defeat
This time it comes referendum there, the parliament has in any case, it agreed to hold the next Sunday, but the risk that the outcome Tsipras fails wrong seems considerably. Preliminary surveys show that 57% of the population is still in favor of measures to implement the present. That is perhaps not so surprising. Time and again, for years, according to all surveys show that the vast majority of Greeks favor of Greek membership of the EU and also for participation in the euro project
Former Prime Minister and now opposition leader Antonis Samaras says that Sunday’s referendum in essence, whether the Greeks are for or against Europe. If indeed it is perceived that way, is a great defeat for the current government.
Ultra Left
Just as with Papandreou over three years ago, the idea of holding a referendum from power politics perspective naive, certainly very risky. But Tsipras also faces a big problem. He and his party members cherish leftist ideals and once in government not only proves utterly impossible to achieve that, it is highly questionable to what extent the voter with a vote for SYRIZA which was guided by leftist ideals. The party has certainly won a lot of votes because of her criticism of the rehabilitation policy, but also a lot because she is a party untainted by the past.
Many Syrizastemmers does not have much of Marxist and Maoist groups in Syriza. Where ultra left the party little interests at heart Europe, the Greek electorate though. On the other hand, again this is a plea from Samaras comes from one of the most eminent representatives of which many Greeks now so despised old politics.
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