Meimarakis open to cooperation

Should New Democracy win Sunday’s elections, its leader Evangelos Meimarakis will seek to form a government that includes SYRIZA and many figures outside of politics, but the leftist party continues to dodge the question of who it might cooperate with after September 20.

In an interview with Sunday’s Kathimerini, Meimarakis said that his focus after the elections, should he have the mandate to form a government, will be to restore stability.

“I will try to ensure there is political stability, consensus and cooperation,” he said. “I will try to create a government of national cooperation that will have a long life, in which as many parties as possible will participate. The only prerequisite will be that they have to all agree the country should remain in the eurozone.”

“This government will resemble a national team,” added the New Democracy leader. “That is why we have to make sure that the best people are involved, not just from the parties, but also from society, the market and institutions.”

Meimarakis would not be drawn on the names of those he appears to be lining up to take part in such a government.

He also emphasized his intention to create a “national negotiating team” with input from all the parties involved in the next government.

The conservative chief, however, expressed concern that if New Democracy wins and SYRIZA decides not to accept its offer to govern together, the leftist party may switch its stance in opposition and begin criticizing the government for implementing the bailout.

Also speaking to Sunday’s Kathimerini, ex-deputy prime minister Yiannis Dragasakis avoided dwelling on the possibility of SYRIZA having to work with other parties after the elections. He said that a SYRIZA majority is a “precondition” so adhering to the bailout is only part of what the next government achieves.

The SYRIZA official said the next four years “could prove the most crucial in Greece’s postwar history” and the next administration would have to “change the country in all areas.”

“If, however, we decided that in the current situation the most important factor is political stability then we have to recognize this can also be served by SYRIZA having a clear majority and Alexis Tsipas being prime minister,” he said. “All the other scenarios carry lesser or greater risk of instability.”