Clash in parliament over exit to markets

Parliament began its session, with a high-strung political debate between the government and the opposition, after the country's exit to international markets.

SYRIZA insisted on allegations of a phony exit which servers political pre-election governmental aims, while ND and PASOK spoke of the end of the memoranda and the drachma lobby. At the same time, most of the party representatives condemned the bombing attack in the center of Athens.

ND: “...you are hurting the country”

Parliamentary representative of New Democracy Sophia Voultepsi mentioned the lack of SYRIZA Members of Parliament on matters of national economy, stating that “You have obviously been busy with degrading the country. You are hurting our country”.

In response to the opposition on the allegation that the exit to markets is a method of electioneering and marketeering strategy, she stated “Suddenly, all international markets conspired to vote for a mayor in Athens?”, while responding to the publications mentioned by Mr. Papadimoulis, she noted “He has chosen to read only the negative publications. They chose editors who systematically hurt the country throughout the whole crisis”.

SYRIZA: “Electoral considerations behind the exit to markets”

Mr. Dimitris Papadimoulis argued that “the government's celebrations obviously server pre-election strategies” and that both the government and the german chancellor “hand -in- hand are trying to take down two birds with one stone: In order for the debt haircut not to happen, and that Samaras-Venizelos are aided in going through the obstacle of elections”. He called upon publications by Suddeutsche Zeitung which speaks of a false exit to market, and articles by NYT and FT who also are sceptical of the motion. On tomorrow's visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he stated “she's coming to support her business partners: Samaras-Venizelos” and insisted that “a generous debt haircut must be claimed, and not an election campaign at the taxpayers' expense”.

PASOK: “The drachma lobby has been defeated”

On its part, PASOK's Paris Koukoulopoulos argued that “today is an important day for us, since the biggest part of the success of returning to markets is due to PASOK. We are here, deeply hurt and decimated. But we are here to say that the war has been won. The demagogue powers, the drachma lobby, has been vanquished and there is no way for them to return with a voice in politics”. He stated, and added that Media, instead of hosting party parliament members “should host stupid economists and Constitutionalists of the drachma lobby to teach the people how bankruptcy is Constitutionally defined”. Mentioning the opposition, he stated “You now feel all hut about the interest rates. You want another memorandum. You are in tears that we are leaving the memorandum and your theory has been irreperably damaged”, and added “Where is everything you were saying about collaborationists now...Let's see who is the real collaborationist are with your logic”.