Tsipras at Stournaras: You are an economist, not a Colonel

Alexis Tsipras unleashed an attack at the Finance Minister on the shutting down of ERT, during the discussion of a SYRIZA question to the Prime Minister, which was answered by Yannis Stournaras. "You will go down in history for the black screens in our television. You are accountable to the people, to the Republic. You are an economist, not a Colonel, " Tsipras said.

The SYRIZA leader said that the Greek government wants to load its own sins to ERT, to its workers, complaining that longtime employees were overpaid to appear on party offices. He also spoke against Simos Kedikoglou urging him to answer how he was appointed to ERT and how many favors has he asked recently. He accused Stournaras for distributing lists of who will be hired in the new ERT and added "the ordinances, humiliate the President of the Republic and our institutions."

Tsipras called the ERT shut down as a firework of disorientation for the economy fiasco and added that the state television "offers to the public budget and does not burden it."

Stournaras accused Tsipras for scaremongering without ever proposing any solution and referred to what the Greek government has managed in the economy. He reported that ERT took 210 million euros from the PPC hike and 9 million from advertising revenues.

The finmin reiterated that the closure of ERT was necessary to proceed with its reorganization. "We are not closing down ERT, we are reconstructing it to regenerate it," Stournaras said, and added "the new body will work very soon with the most valued staff of ERT." Lastly, he admitted “the decision to shut down the public service broadcasting even for a little while, is not pleasant to anyone."