Athens. At the edge of financial suffocation and boredom, in a climate of uncertainty, confusion and sometimes despair, the Greeks decide today whether to support referendum the agreement proposed by the international creditors, which requires more austerity in exchange for opening the tap of financial aid to Greece.
The scene is unprecedented even for Greece, cradle of democracy, since its citizens are called to make a decision that could prove vital to the economic and financial survival of the country, which is presented as a referendum on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who opposes the deal.
In the streets of Athens center tempers are contradictory, like behaviors: no Greeks who follow his life as if nothing happened because say they are used to and tired, and I had not know if something will change after the vote. Others act as if they were in a state of exception, face a war.
Desperate, fill monkeys from the supermarket, queuing at service stations to load naphtha and ATMs to get 60 euros newspapers allowed since Monday playpen after the announcement of the referendum unleashed a bank run was started.
Amid the turmoil unleashed by the gravity of the economic and financial situation of recent days, Greek society remains entrenched behind two camps that seem irreconcilable: the government, calling for a No to creditors, and the traditional right-wing parties and Social Democrats pressing for the Yes
Tsipras. , the leftist Syriza, took office in January with a commitment to end the austerity and renegotiate Greece’s debt, so accept the terms of an agreement which he described as “humiliating” led him to abdicate in his program and mark a political suicide.
That’s why on Friday of last week decided to abandon negotiations with international institutions-the trident formed by the European Commission (EC), the European Central Bank (ECB ) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – and calling for a referendum on the latest proposal that creditors put on the table after five months of negotiations. The proposal requires the increase in VAT and cuts to pensions.
Two options
From the government’s perspective Syriza a resounding No to the polls mean a support Tsipras, who would be strengthened to continue negotiating with the creditors, while the Yes victory would leave him no choice but to call early elections.
The leaders of the eurozone will not warn that a rejection the euro and close the door to greater support from creditors, which would leave Greece alone and in unfamiliar terrain with unpredictable consequences not only for the country but also for Europe.
Yesterday, European politicians still pushing for the Greeks to vote Yes in the referendum.
The president of the European Parliament, the Social Democrat Martin Schulz, stressed that “the insurance situation will not improve” if the people reject the referendum reform plans from creditors.
The president of the European Socialist Party, Sergei Stanishev called on Greeks to “not turn their backs on Europe.”
And the owner German Finance Wolfgang Schäuble, he stressed that the decision to continue or not belonging to the Eurozone depends on the Greek people.
“I will vote no because I am not afraid. We want to intimidate, but we will hold and we will not lower the pants off the Germans, “he said in Athens, proud, Makis Dendrinos, a retiree of 62 years.
Almost tied
The latest polls give a slight advantage, of 1.4 points (44.8 percent vs. 43.4 percent) supporters of Yes, changing the trend of previous polls, which predicted a No win.
A revealing fact is that polls agree that an overwhelming majority of citizens support that Greece will continue in the euro.
While Brussels argues that a No “drastically weakened” the position of the Greek government, Tsipras insists that, whatever the result tomorrow “there will be an agreement” and on Tuesday the banks reopen. The key is in debt relief. Tsipras asked a haircut of 30 percent, supported by a recent IMF report it says that Greek debt is unsustainable.
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