The implementation of the decisions of October 26 and then the holding of elections is the mandate of the new cooperation government in which the president of PASOK and prime minister, George Papandreou and the president of ND, Antonis Samaras agreed.… The new prime minister will be announced on Monday . Former Vice President of the ECB, Louka Papadimos, is rumored to be taking over the presidency of the new government.A 12-hour period of intense political developments ensued, culminating in the joint meeting of the two politicians at the Presidential Palace, where they had talks with the President of the Republic, Karolos Papoulias.
According to the announcement of the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic, "in order to determine the obligations arising for the implementation of the decisions of October 26 and the time frame required, a meeting of representatives of the two sides will take place immediately".
On Monday, there will be a communication between the two leaders, in order to decide the person who will lead the new government, as, according to the announcement of the Presidency of the Republic, "Prime Minister George A. Papandreou has already stated that he will not lead the new government ».
The Council of Political Leaders under the President of the Republic was canceled after the KKE and SYN refused to participate.
Following the Papandreou-Samara agreement, officials from the government's financial staff and the main opposition party met. From the government side, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Finance E. Venizelos, the Deputy Minister Mr. F. Sachinidis and the President of the Council of Economic Experts (SOE) Mr. G. Zanias. From the ND side, according to information, the advisers of the President of the party D. Stamatis and Ch. Lazaridis and the MP Ch. Staikouras will participate.
Council of the Ministers
On Sunday afternoon, under intense pressure, the cabinet met. The Prime Minister, starting his speech, informed the ministers that he asked the President of the Republic K. Papoulias to invite him and the President of ND A. Samaras, to a joint meeting at the Presidential Palace. Mr. Papandreou informed the members of the cabinet that there is no question of his resignation and that of the government.
At the same meeting, he presented a seven-point framework, which, according to the Greek Prime Minister, is the framework in which the new co-operation government is called to move.
These seven actions are as follows:
1. Disbursement of the 6th installment
2. Immediate start and completion of negotiations with the Troika on the new program as soon as possible.
3. Submission before November 20 and voting before December 31 of the 2012 Budget.
4. Completion of the implementation of the 2011 Budget in the context of the 5th revision of the Memorandum.
5. Take all necessary measures for the safe participation of Greek banks and Greek insurance funds in the procedure provided for in the decision of 26 October.
6. Formulation of the legal and financial conditions for the implementation of the new Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSI).
7. Disbursement of the installment of the new program to cover Greece's borrowing needs (additional 20 billion euros) before the end of February 2012.
As the Prime Minister stated, the program framework set by the current government is the following:
"First of all, let us confirm to our partners that Greece will do immediately, without delay, everything that must be done to implement the decision of October 26. To declare cross-partyly that the package will be supported with wider political support and with a sincere effort to form this new Government. To ensure the disbursement of the 6th tranche, of 8 billion euros, as soon as possible.
"To ask for the immediate start of negotiations with the Troika for the final formulation of the new program, ie the new loan agreement of 130 billion euros, in order to be voted in the Parliament with an increased majority. To formulate the legal and financial framework, in order to lead to the reduction of the Greek public debt by 100 billion euros, ie 50% of GDP, and this within the next 5 months, maybe even earlier. At the same time, the annual interest rates will be reduced in 2012, by 5 billion euros and, by 9 billion, in 2013 and 2014.
"All procedures will be followed, according to the schedule of the decision of October 26 until the beginning of 2012, to secure a new loan of 100 billion euros, 30 billion euros to finance the participation of the private sector, as well as 80 billion euros. , based on the new program, to meet our needs ".
Mr. Papandreou also brought back the issues he had raised in his speech in Parliament, such as the issue of the name of Skopje, for which there will be a decision of the International Court of Justice in two weeks at the most. Mr. Papandreou clarified that this issue is not set as a prerequisite "to the other side", but it is a simple indication that there will be such an issue and the new government, if there is, will have to deal with such an issue.
The Prime Minister did not express any certainty about the positive outcome of the discussion with Mr. Samaras. On the contrary, he expressed his reservations 3-4 times. "It is not certain what will happen," he said, pledging only his own will for a national consensus. He added that "if the efforts do not succeed", the government will continue its work normally. "We are a government," he said, "and we must keep the country afloat, for as long as and whatever the developments." Mr. Papandreou also made no secret of the fact that he wants the elections to be avoided.
He asked the ministers, as long as there is no successor government, each ministry must exude the certainty that the government is functioning. We must, he added, "send a message of stability, that there is a functioning government, with a vote of confidence."
Placements in the cabinet
After the Prime Minister's suggestion, Dimitris Reppas was the first to speak, stating that George Papandreou, as promised from the floor of Parliament, will resign as soon as the leader of the official opposition agrees to form a government of common acceptance.
As for the face of the new prime minister, the Minister of Administrative Reform said that he should come either from the majority of the Parliament or to be a third party of wider acceptance. Mr. Reppas added that it is inadmissible and unacceptable for one party to engage and interfere in the internal affairs of another party.
For his part, Costas Skandalidis pointed out that the current government has completed the entire framework of the agreement on debt management and for this effort ratified it with a vote of confidence in Parliament.
The Minister of Rural Development stated that the mandate of the PASOK Central Committee is to investigate the possibility of forming a government by more than one party, because one party alone cannot bear the burden of implementing the debt agreement. "If this story does not end in the next hours and tomorrow, then the people will take us with the tomatoes", Mr. Skandalidis is said to have said characteristically.
Giannis Ragousis stressed in his speech that the person who will lead the new government should be of high standards and requirements, without setting himself as a prerequisite the political space from which he will come. Mr. Ragousis stated that the cooperation government will not be a government of avoiding responsibilities and pointed out that there should be no illusion that with the new government we will be relieved of our responsibilities, nor that ND will not shoulder responsibilities.
The Minister of Education, Anna Diamantopoulou, underlined that there is a risk of the country leaving the euro and in order to avoid this possibility, the commitment of the two major parties is required in all those provided by the package of the October 26 agreement.
In this negotiation, Ms. Diamantopoulou added, the prime minister took the major step by resigning if the new government agrees and asked: "What is Mr. Samaras putting?". In case these negotiations fail, the only way left is the elections, the Minister of Education pointed out, with the risk that the prime minister who will emerge from them will be the prime minister of the drachma and Greece will slip into the doctrine "we belong to the East ».
Christos Papoutsis stated that if the negotiation is not over by tomorrow, then there is no other prospect than for the government to remain as it is.
Panos Beglitis referred to the specifications and qualifications that the prime minister of the new co-operation government must have, rejecting "political zombies of the past", as he characteristically stated. Responding to the view that those who gave a vote of confidence to Mr. Papandreou did it to resign, are irresponsible and "let them throw him tomorrow." The Minister of Defense considers the resignation of the Prime Minister before an agreement is reached, a constitutional diversion.
Samaras demanded Papandreou's resignation
"As long as Mr. Papandreou does not resign, he is blocking any solution," said Antonis Samaras, leaving the Presidential Palace, after his meeting with the President of the Republic. "I am determined to help. "If he resigns, everything else will take its course," he added.
Government sources, commenting on the statement of Antonis Samaras about the resignation of George Papandreou, in order to form a new government, said that the issue is not the person of Mr. Papandreou, who, after all, has already clarified it himself. Apparently, the same sources said, once an agreement is reached, Mr. Papandreou will not be prime minister. The essential thing, according to the same sources, is the agreement on the program of the new government and the package of actions for the country to remain in the euro.
The need "for everyone to take their responsibilities", so that "we can send a message of stability and confidence to the outside and a message of stability and smoothness to the inside", stressed the president of New Democracy Antonis Samaras, during his meeting, earlier, with the President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, noting also that he understands the anguish of the Greek people.
The President of the Republic agreed and stressed that "this backlog, which tortures the Greek people, where we are going, what we are doing must end". He expressed the belief that "we are all responsible to provide a solution to this question of the Greek people."
"Indeed, the uncertainty must end, we must all give a solution to the question of the Greek people," the President of the Republic replied.
Two hours earlier, at 16:00, instead of 18:00, the Council of Ministers will meet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister George Papandreou. At the meeting, the Prime Minister and the Vice President and Minister of Finance, Ev. Venizelos, will inform the members of the government about the decision of October 26 and the loan agreement and the course of the relevant discussions. Preparations for the disbursement of the sixth installment of the loan will also be discussed.
Source: kathimerini.com.cy with information from Skai.gr, ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ