Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been asked by opposition party leaders to postpone elections after a new bailout program is completed. The request came during the luncheon at the presidency on Friday, however Tsipras did not reply.
Centrist Potami Leader Stavros THeodorakis made the following statement as he left the luncheon: “No one wants to spring a surprise. Let me put it this way: We all want the passions to subside, for people to go on holiday, all those that can and we politicians will stay behind and tie up the loose ends.”
The leaders noted that Tsipras could exploit the grand majority of 230 lawmakers – his own and those of the opposition – to vote through the EU-dictated reforms and urged him not to spare any punches with controversial legislation, such as a bill aimed at improving Greece’s education system
Opposition political leaders also pointed to Speaker of the House Zoe Konstantopoulou as an unpredictable wild card – mainly on account of her being opposed to the fast-track procedures to hurry through the painful austerity measures. The PM was encouraged to take action to subdue her.
Later, during an interview with SKAI radio, SYRIZA government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili said that negotiations are continuing between the government and the institutions. She said that Konstantopoulou would be presiding when the final agreement negotiated with Greece’s lenders came to Parliament but it would be up to her to decide if she wanted to preside over that session.
