Greek opposition leader calls for withdrawal of social security reform
New Democracy opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to withdraw a controversial proposal for social security reform so as “to defuse tensions.”
According to the ANA-MPA news agency, the conservative leader said that the leftist government’s proposal does not have the support of society, as it is “harmful to the economy and the survival of many professional sectors, without solving the problem.”
“Mr Tsipras has a duty to immediately withdraw his plan so as to defuse tensions and start an essential dialogue from the start with social groups,” Mitsotakis said in a statement, referring to ongoing protests against the proposal.
The overhaul, which must deliver savings worth 1 percent of gross domestic product or 1.8 billion euros this year, is the most sensitive of a raft of reforms demanded of the government by the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund in return for up to 85 billion euros in aid.
