Deutsche Welle refers to a potential victory for SYRIZA as a “Greek tragedy” stating that this would put an end to reforms. The article states that the country will only recover if it overcomes its political uncertainty and continues with reform, otherwise it will head towards “an economic abyss”.
The Washington Post’s article, titled “Why everything is at stake and yet nothing will be decided in today’s Greek presidential election”, links the election to the markets and the negative effect it had with December 9 – the day of the announcement – also being the day when the largest drop since 1987 was noted (-12.78%). “This all begs the question of why the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras decided to call this vote two months early,” write the authors of the article. “One potential explanation is that Samaras believes that this Parliament can elect a president in the third vote. Others argue exactly the opposite, namely that Samaras cannot win and he is looking for a heroic and convenient exit — with a more manageable defeat in the next Parliamentary election compared to the one that he would face in March, and passing the buck of Greece’s continuing economic negotiations with the Troika (IMF, European Central Bank, and European Commission) to the next government.” The article states that the move has placed pressure on both MPs at home and the Troika of Greece’s international creditors.
Bloomberg points to Greece’s failure to gather enough support as “a step closer to early elections.”
Reuters said that the 160 votes in favor of presidential candidate Stavros Dimas were lower than expected. It sees the presidential elections as a “vote gamble”.
The Financial Times writes that Athens has stumbled in at the first presidential hurdle. It cites a source close to the prime minister that states: “We got enough votes today to be in with a chance, though it will take some persuading to bring the rest on board.”
The Guardian writes that “Greek election uncertainty fuels concerns over eurozone stability.” The article states that early elections have the potential to destabilize the eurozone if the country’s 300 MPs fail to elect a president in their first round of voting.
France’s Le Point states that pressure on Greeks and the markets is continuing now that the deputies failed to vote for a president in the first round.
Italy’s La Republica sees “black smoke” rising from Greek Parliament where an embattled PM is hunting for votes.
