Greek president asks opposition leaders to form government as elections loom
Greece’s president will ask opposition leaders to form a new government, after a party rebellion over a bailout deal forced Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to call early elections next month.
The opposition is given little chance of uniting and forming a government, meaning that after more than five years of a worsening financial crisis, Greece appears to be headed for its fifth national election in six years.
Although Mr Tsipras is widely tipped to win the election, if he fails to secure an outright majority he would have to seek a complex coalition deal that could hamper his ability to govern in the long term.
Outgoing government officials say the likeliest election date is September 20, just under eight months after Mr Tsipras’ election on promises to fight creditor-demanded spending cuts and tax hikes, terms he later agreed to in order to secure Greece a third bailout as its economy was on the brink of collapse.
This morning, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos will meet the head of conservative New Democracy party, Evangelos Meimarakis, and ask him to try to form a government.
If Mr Meimarakis fails within the maximum three-day limit, the next in line to try is the head of the Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party. But neither party has enough allies to gain parliament’s support.
If both fail, parliament will be dissolved and elections held within the next month.
Announcing his resignation in a televised address, Mr Tsipras said he secured the best deal possible when he agreed to a three-year, €86bn bailout from other eurozone countries to save Greece from a disastrous exit from the euro currency.
But the deal came with strict terms for more belt-tightening.
Mr Tsipras’ U-turn over accepting the demands by the country’s creditors led to outrage among hardliners in his Syriza party, which hamstrung his coalition.
About one in four Syriza MPs refused to back the bailout’s ratification in parliament last week, which was only approved with backing from opposition parties. Greece’s European creditors did not appear dismayed by Mr Tsipras’ move, which was widely expected.
But Moody’s credit rating agency warned in a statement that the snap elections “potentially, puts future (rescue loan) disbursements at risk”. The political uncertainty took its toll on Greece’s stock market, with the Athens Stock Exchange closing 3.5% down on election speculation.
Mr Tsipras had delayed a decision on whether to call new elections until after Greece received its first instalment from the bailout and made a debt repayment to the European Central Bank. It did both on Thursday.
He said in the address: “Now that this difficult cycle has ended ... I feel the deep moral and political obligation to set before your judgment everything I have done, both right and wrong, the achievements and the omissions.”
Mr Tsipras insists that he had to accept the unpalatable bailout terms to keep Greece in the euro, the EU’s common currency. He is betting on a stronger mandate if polls are held before voters feel the impact of the steep tax hikes and spending cuts.
If he wins the elections, a new mandate will allow him to move away from the rebels in his party, some of whom have openly advocated leaving the euro and returning to the drachma. The hardliners are likely to split from Syriza.
Greek banking is still restricted under capital controls imposed in late June to stem a bank run sparked after Mr Tsipras called a referendum on creditor proposals for reforms following a breakdown in bailout negotiations.
There are weekly limits on cash withdrawals and Greeks can only transfer up to €500 abroad per month.
Companies have faced problems paying suppliers abroad, with all international payments requiring a laborious process of approval by a special finance ministry committee.
