Greece’s president of the republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, is expected to sign a decree allowing for a referendum next Sunday allowing voters to vote on the last proposal supposedly tabled by creditors to the radical leftist government.

Pavlopoulos, who holds a ceremonial position that is filled by a vote amongst Parliament’s 300 MPs, received the legislature’s president, Zoe Constantopoulou in the early morning, 4 a.m.! The latter handed him the decree, which was approved by the ruling radical leftists, their coalition partner, the rightist-populists Independent Greeks (AN.EL), and the … ultra-nationalists of Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi)!

In a bid to end speculation that he won’t sign the decree or even resign, the former New Democracy minister harked back to … antiquity, uttering the Delphic comment “let us not forget that ancient Greece was the birthplace of direct democracy,” he said, forgetting Sparta.

Pavlopoulos had previously spoken by phone with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, and is expected to receive main opposition leader Antonis Samaras on Sunday, while most of the media speculation focused on communication he had with former PM Costas Karamanlis, in whose Cabinet he served.

The latter, who has kept a mostly low political profile since leaving the prime minister’s office in 2009 but who is still a deputy, expressed his complete opposition with the referendum.

Meeting with ND’s Samaras

Pavlopoulos later received main opposition leader Antonis Samaras, the premier until late January, at the presidential mansion, where he reiterated that “Greece course in the Eurozone must remain unbroken”.

Both men are long-time cadres and ministers serving in ND government going back decades, as both emerged from conservative party while in the 20s, even not younger.

On his part, Samaras said his party “red line” was Greece’s position in the eurozone and EU.