ATHENS: Prime Minister Antonis Samaras begged the Greek parliament yesterday not to throw away sacrifices made to keep the country solvent, a day before deputies begin a vote that could force a snap election and reignite financial crisis.
The remarks follow warnings by European and Greek officials of dire consequences if Samaras loses the vote to elect a new president, prompting early elections by February that could topple his coalition government.
“Greeks demand that we fight united, to safeguard everything we achieved with bloody sacrifices in the last few years, and lead them safely to finally exit the crisis,” Samaras said in a statement.
The left-wing Syriza party, which wants to scrap the unpopular bailout package run by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, has accused both the Commission and Samaras of scare-mongering.
Syriza is ahead in the opinion polls but its lead has narrowed as the vote nears and brings closer the prospect of a showdown with the country’s creditors.
Greece has begun to turn the corner after six years of recession.
REUTERS
