Fresh elections, fresh dangers

Published on 16 May 2012 at 13:29

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Following 9 days of discussions, Greek parties have not reached an agreement to form a government. Therefore, new elections will be held on 17 June, organised by the transition cabinet headed by the President of the State Council, Panayiotis Pikramenos.

“After the vote, the country is in the red”, worries I Kathimerini. The daily further notes that even if support is growing for Greece to abandon the single currency, “Merkel and Hollande want Greece to remain in the eurozone.”

“International alarmists' forecasts have come true” laments To Ethnos headlining with “Elections in a minefield”. "The country has reached an impasse. The parties now need to present clear solutions to the country’s problems,” among which are recession at 6.2% in the first quarter and unemployment at 21%.

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For To Vima, the new elections will be —

a referendum with Antonis [Samaras, the leader of New Democracy, right-wing] against Alexis [Tsipras, the leader of Syriza, the Coalition of the radical Left], the right against the Coalition of the radical Left, the pro-Europeans against the rest.

However, Ta Nea hopes that this political crisis —

will be a chance to revive and restructure Greece’s social democracy. The two traditional parties [New Democracy and the socialists of Pasok] should draw some lessons from their failure.

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