Last time the 5η July fell Sunday, as today, it was that dramatic summer of 2015 that the Greek people were invited to participate for the first time in referendum which would not concern the state status of the place but its economic future. The SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government under 41-year-old Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras came to power just six months ago and in the coming weeks was in danger of losing it, as all negotiations with the creditors had failed. Without the acceptance of a new rescue package, the long-suffering Greek economy would be driven to complete bankruptcy with European leaders making it clear that such a move would lead to a return to the drachma.
Ο Alexis Tsipras is concerned. He wants the financial help as the reserves of the domestic funds were exhausted, but not the burdensome measures that entailed. Deadlock. "The solution will be given by the people, we will hold a referendum," he suggested to his close associates, who in those days entered the Maximos Palace in the morning and left at night, going home only to sleep.
But let's take the story in turn. The first thoughts of holding a referendum had been made since the beginning of April and especially shortly before Holy Week (Easter fell on April 12). Realizing that the "honest negotiations" with the representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the Commission and the European Central Bank do not lead to a positive result, Mr. Tsipras instructs the Minister of Finance, Giannis Varoufakis, to prepare a report in case that we left the eurozone. In fact, within the next twenty-four hours, the minister presents to Maximou all the unfavorable scenarios with his friend, the American economist James Galbraith (who, by the way, had also been an informal adviser to former Prime Minister George Papandreou).
They explain to him that, among other things, the nationalization of the Bank of Greece, the closure of financial institutions, fuel control, food and medicine vouchers, printing of promissory notes (IOU) to pay salaries and pensions, mobilization of civil servants and mobilization of both Greek Police are required. and the Army.
Realizing the magnitude of the catastrophe that could occur, the prime minister sits and thinks about all possible ways to deal with the fiscal crisis that was just around the corner and threatened to drag the country and himself like a tsunami. That is when the referendum first came to light if the tough negotiations with the troika (which had been renamed "institutions") eventually collapsed.
According to information, shortly before Easter, he asks for all the relevant preparations to be made just in case. That is, to draft the relevant Legislative Content Act with an open date, to calculate the deadlines required under the current legislation for holding a referendum and to have the necessary supply of files and ballots because as the situation was going, in the end there might not be money for either the required amount of paper as those who know today admit. That's why everything happened so fast in July, it was ready much earlier.
As the days went by, the Minister of Finance was in an increasingly difficult position in the Eurogroup meetings. On April 22, the head of the informal European body, Thomas Wieser, clarified at a meeting of Eurogroup finance ministers in Riga that "liquidity in Greece is sufficient until June". The stagnation of negotiations in the Latvian capital leads to political developments as it is decided to add economist Euclid Tsakalotos to the new negotiating team. For his part, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schieble clarified next month that the margins for our country are narrowing and that we are moving in the wrong direction.
Negotiations are not progressing well and the previous funding program ends in June. The media talk about an economic Armageddon that is looming over the country, while some TV channels even put a clock on the screen with a countdown until the moment when Greece will be out of the funding program on June 30th. After the involvement that took place on June 24 due to the disagreement of the partners with the last Greek proposal that is submitted, the possibility of holding a referendum returns almost completely.
Alexis Tsipras announces his proposal at a heavily charged meeting of the government council at the Maximos Palace on the night of Friday, June 26, which a short time later will be transformed into a Council of Ministers. As we are able to know today by talking to people who attended this meeting, the members of the government were split in two that night. The Deputy Prime Minister Giannis Dragasakis, the Minister of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction Giannis Voutsis, Euclides Tsakalotos the Minister of Economy Stagonis and Giorgos Ypodon were in favor of the review of the agreement proposed by the institutions even if it provided for difficult fiscal measures. but also the secretary of the Council of Ministers and lawyer Spyros Sagias.
At the same time, they asked the Prime Minister to continue to follow a hard line and to hold a referendum, the Minister of Finance Giannis Varoufakis and the Minister of State Nikos Pappas demanded. The constant insistence of the current president of MERA25 to call for a referendum provoked the reaction of many present. Messrs. Dragasakis and Stathakis as well as the Deputy Minister of Labor for the fight against unemployment Rania Antonopoulou demand the dismissal of Mr. Varoufakis by the government. With them is the head of the Council of Economic Experts and later Deputy Minister of Finance, George Chouliarakis.
In fact, three days later, Sagias and Varoufakis exchanged heavy conversations and almost got caught in the arms. "You are a political swindler," the finance minister reportedly told the secretary of the cabinet. "You are a scammer and you look like it," replied Mr. Sagias, who claimed that "with the referendum we are destroying the country." The result was on the one hand the resignation of Mr. Sagias and on the other hand the holding of the referendum.
At one in the morning of 26th to 27η In June, the Prime Minister addressed a message to the Greek people calling on them to vote "whether to accept the draft agreement submitted by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the Eurogroup on June 25 and consisting of two documents, which constitute the proposal on which the referendum is proposed ".
The first document is entitled "Reforms for the completion of the Current Program and Beyond" (Reforms for the completion of the current program and beyond) and the second "Preliminary Debt sustainability analysis" (preliminary debt sustainability analysis). Those of the citizens of the country who reject the proposal of the three institutions should vote: NOT APPROVED / NO. Those of the citizens of the country who agree with the proposal of the three institutions should vote: APPROVED / YES ". Few Greeks sat down to read the relevant texts that, along with others, were already modified along the way.
The world is divided. Massive rallies are being held in Syntagma Square both in favor of "Yes" and in favor of "No". The government is openly in favor of "No", as well as SYRIZA itself with ANEL, while Chrysi Avgi calls on its voters to cast a negative vote in its referendum 5th July. New Democracy argues that the question is essentially "Yes or No in the eurozone" and stresses that citizens should vote in favor of yes in our stay in the common currency. The position of Potamio is similar.
As soon as the referendum was announced, there were strong reactions abroad. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said "In the referendum, Greek citizens are asked to answer whether they will stay in the euro or return to the drachma", a view shared by almost all the governments of the great countries of the old continent such as Germany, France and Italy. In fact, the European Commission expressed its surprise at the fact that the Greek government is consulting the people on the proposal of June 25, while on June 26 there was another, updated proposal.
The Tsipras government replied that it had not been informed of the new proposal and that it was only aware of the proposal submitted to it on the 25th of the month and set as an ultimatum by the president of the Eurogroup, Geroun Deiselblum.
Mr. Juncker, however, categorically denied that there was an ultimatum to Greece and countered that the institutions in the European Union do not work in this way. In essence, we were called upon to decide on a proposal that was no longer on the table. But the road had no return.
On June 28, the government is forced to close the banks and control bank transfers for three weeks, as he points out, and everyone runs to the ATMs every day to withdraw the 60 euros they can withdraw daily - as long as they have money in their bank account. In the midst of capital controls, the polls initially show that the "Yes" will prevail, and with a difference, but as the days go by, the results of the polls show that there will be a derby.
The prime minister and ministers are anxiously watching the results on television. "No" will prevail with a percentage of 61,31% against 38,69% of "Yes". No one expected such a big difference of 22,62%.
Alexis Tsipras and those present burst into applause and smile. Among others are Panos Skourletis, Dimitris Stratoulis, Terence Quick, Alexis Haritsis and Theano Fotiou. The Greek people have joined them for the second time since the January national elections. But as time goes on, they think about the next day, thinking about how they will manage the result. Initial enthusiasm gives way to reflection.
The Prime Minister is retiring from his office and the Minister of State Alekos Flampouraris in his own. A few minutes later, Varoufakis arrives at Maximou. As soon as one of the top government ministers sees him, he hurries to congratulate him. "Congratulations John, we won".
The then head of the financial staff will answer: "What did we gain, Alexis asked for my resignation…". Everyone is beginning to realize that the government is preparing for a reshuffle. The climate that prevails now is diametrically opposed to that of Syntagma Square where people have set up dances and are celebrating.
* THE George Sarris is a journalist - member of ESIEA, honored by the President of the Republic with the Ath. Botsis Award for the objective and complete presentation of historical political issues.