EU’s bailout program for Greece ‘dead’ – Syriza economist
The bailout program, which the outgoing Greek government signed with the EU, is dead and will be renegotiated, Yiannis Milios, chief economy policy maker at the leftist anti-austerity party Syriza said after it won the country’s parliamentary election.
READ MORE: Greece’s anti-austerity Syriza party officially wins parliamentary elections
European Union Finance Ministers are scheduled to meet in Davos
on Monday, but Milios said that Greece’s current finance
minister, Gikas Hardouvelis, will attend the gathering only to
“close pending cases of technical matters.”
“This program, which was agreed by Mr. Hardouvelis as
representative of Mr. Samaras, is now dead,” he explained.
Syriza won over 36 percent of the vote on Sunday, forcing New
Democracy – the party of Greek prime minister – Antonis Samaras,
to settle for second with 28 percent.
Celebrating the victory, the party’s leader Alexis Tsipras
announced to the cheering crowd that the era of ‘Troika’ debt
inspectors is “over” for Greece.
“This is a historic victory of the Greek people. A new page
has turned. It is a historic moment for the entire Europe. We
turn a new page in our country. The Greek people take their
future into their own hands,” Milios was also cited by
ANA-MPA news agency.
The majority of Greek voters entered the election angry at the
Samaras’s government for agreeing to the terms of 240 billion
euro EU bailout, which included the severe cuts and tax hikes.
Syriza blamed austerity for deepening Greek recession, which
pushed one third of the country’s population into poverty.
Before the vote, the leftist party’s leader, Alexis Tsipras, said
that the terms of the bailout program must be renegotiated to
give Greek economy more breathing space.
According to Milios, Syriza will form “the government of
national salvation, is the government that will promote, defend
and consolidate the interests of social majority but, at the same
time, it is not just a message.”
The Greek leftist have become the first anti-austerity party to
form the government in Europe, with Syriza economist saying that
“it is the beginning of a major change for the entire” continent.
“Europe cannot continue with the deflation, recession, the
rising unemployment and excessive debt. Greece leads the way, our
country, our people are the pioneers of a huge change. We are all
very emotional and happy,” he added.
