Opposition urges Tsipras to drop talk of snap polls
Opposition parties renewed their call on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to set aside any plans for snap elections later this year and to focus on completing an agreement for a third bailout with the country’s lenders.
“We ask Mr Tsipras to govern, to implement what he has agreed and signed up to,” said PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata after meeting President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. “If he is unable to do it, he should tell us. The onus to act is on the prime minister.”
Apart from PASOK, New Democracy and To Potami have stressed over the past few days that Tsipras should end the growing discussion about snap elections and work with the opposition parties to push through reforms. The three political groupings are concerned that the premier will use the backing they have offered for bailout-related legislation but then ignore them for any other bills he wants to pass.
The opposition also has serious doubts about whether new elections later this year would help produce any clearer results than in January, while increasing the risk that Greece would fall behind in the implementation of reforms and risk exiting the euro.
New Democracy caretaker head Evangelos Meimarakis is expected to ask the party’s political committee on Friday to either authorize him to lead the party for the next few months or to pave the way for a leadership contest to be held soon.
