Greek-Spanish PMs woo undecided voters who want EU membership

Greek PM A. Samaras hopes that showcasing himself as an EU parliamentarian will overturn SYRIZA’s narrow lead

Conservative New Democracy (ND) Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is wooing the undecided voters who don’t want to jeopardize the country’s EU membership. He hopes that the undecided voters will help narrow, or even overturn, the slight lead that the main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) has in the elections.

He showed a European profile during his meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Athens on Wednesday. Mr. Rajoy rallied his support behind Mr. Samaras, describing him as “a true leader”. He warned Greeks to stick with tough policies and disregard impossible promises. He said that austerity measures in both Spain and Greece had “got results”.

Mr. Samaras said that Spain had lent Greece 26 billion euros and it would be unethical for Greece to renegotiate agreements. He stressed that EU membership entails an acceptance of the EU community’s basic rules.

On a more positive note, Mr. Samaras underlined that Greece has entered a stage of development with a reduction to unemployment and a continuation of reforms.