Papandreou-Samaras: From friends and roommates… enemies in Greece of the memorandum

890 NewsA calm, collected, always moving in the context of asceticism, the soul of conversations. The other laughing, the soul of the company, carefree and "hippie" in the way he saw the world. The first dreamed of becoming a doctor and the second a sociologist. They were close friends during their student years and maintained excellent relations even at a discreet distance for many years… The crew of their time finds them in Greece of the Memorandum, political leaders of the two major parties in the country enemies, against the biggest bet the country makes to stay alive financially.

Former roommates of Amherst University in Massachusetts, George Papandreou and Antonis Samaras, ate bread and salt together in their youth, lived together, flirted-possibly with the same girls, demonstrated and sang music, marched for music in the same band.

Phone calls between the - otherwise political enemies - were until yesterday more frequent than in any other case of leaders of rival factions - indicative of their friendship, and yet in view of the political and economic turmoil of the country their relations froze.

Regardless of what mediated in the political background and the relations between the two great politicians "broke down", no one and especially themselves do not forget their common path from the University of Amherst to the Greek political scene, a path that played a role in the government scenario a while ago long and in the formation of a transitional government today.

Acquaintance and cohabitation

Graduates of Athens College begin to hang out when they meet in the halls of Amherst University in Massachusetts in the 70s. George Papandreou studied Sociology and Antonis Samaras began his studies in Medicine (although he ended up in economics). They immediately became close friends, but "bonded" when in their second year of study they shared the same room in the dormitories. Roommates now discuss the political situation in the country, exchange views on the future of Greece and quickly realize their common love for politics. At the same time, they live their carefree student years intensely. George Papandreou always scolded Antonis Samaras when they went out to flirt. It was not a few times that George gave Antonis the phones he managed to get from the girls they liked and finally when the latter called the girl he was interested in, the priest of the nearby church came out.

When the school classes were over, they taught Greek dances together to their beautiful classmates and then ran to catch the rehearsals of the band in which they participated, with the name (no, it is not a joke) "The Fireplaces".

In the band, "The Fireplaces", Antonis Samaras was on drums and George Papandreou on electric guitar. The young company had fun, but also competed, according to the climate of the time.

In the same demonstrations, Papandreou and Samaras took part in the blockade of an air base adjacent to their college. The students gathered and decided to block the runway at B52. It was preceded by the refutation of President Nixon's argument that there are no more bombings in Vietnam. They staged a sit-in protest at West Over Base in New Hampshire. The students were arrested by the authorities, but were released as the small detention center in the town of Amherst did not fit them.

The fight against the junta abroad never stopped. Papandreou was bringing the PAK newspaper. Samaras practiced rhetoric and participated in student debates where he spoke about the Greek dictatorship. At Chris Bell's pizzeria, which became their hangout for a long time, one night Samaras said to Papandreou: "Someday we will say it in Parliament". He replied: "I will never get involved in politics."

A friendship that was not hidden even in Parliament

Antonis Samaras himself has never hidden his close friendship with Papandreou since his university years. In an interview with the New York Times in April 1985, he told reporter Henry Cam: our old girlfriends from Holyoke and Smith. "

For his part, George Papandreou had stated to journalists that "Antonis together with Stefanos Manouilidis (today he is an economist) and Filippos Tsiaros (now an internationally renowned photographer) were very close to me. Beyond politics. He was my company on walks, to go find girls, to dance Greek, to organize plates ". The photo of the text is also a document of the close friendship of the four.

The political course

Eventually, Amherst's two close friends entered politics with little time difference. Antonis Samaras at the age of 26 became a Member of Parliament for Messinia, winning the title of the youngest Greek Member of Parliament. Four years later, George Papandreou met him in Parliament as an MP from Achaia.

Their presence in political affairs took place early as one was a Papandreou and the other a great-grandson of Penelope Delta and a grandson of MP Alexandros Zanna. A few years later they will both pass from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and recently both took over the reins of the two major parties of the Greek… hereditary Republic.

The rupture in their relationship

Their relationship remained warm without having any special contacts. George Papandreou had to act as the country's prime minister and Samaras as the leader of the opposition in order for the first rupture in their relations to occur. Although when Antonis Samaras took the helm of ND, many considered that he would have the discreet help of Papandreou PASOK - a fact that was confirmed by the frequent phone calls of the two men in the key political developments, finally their relationship "froze" for the first time a few months ago, when Mr. Papandreou asked for co-government over the phone and received a negative response from Mr. Samaras (in case Mr. Papandreou remained Prime Minister).

Even today, in the face of the danger of finding the country outside the euro, the two formerly close friends are unable to agree politically and are obstructing the extension of the time for the formation of the necessary transitional government that will secure the sixth tranche. Source: Sigma live