The main opposition party SYRIZA has interpreted the speeding up of the Presidential elections as a prelude to early general elections.
The belief is not unfounded, since it is rather difficult for the coalition government to secure the necessary 180 votes in the upcoming elections. The argument is that the New Democracy / PASOK coalition government will fail to elect a government because their candidate, Stavros Dimas, lacks the necessary unifying political attributes and mostly represents New Democracy.
As such, SYRIZA’s political secretariat convened at midday on Tuesday and began discussing their general preparations ahead of the general elections. In preparation of the general elections, party leader Alexis Tsipras’ staff has begun planning for its first legislative initiatives, for when it comes to power.
While there is an overwhelming optimism of winning the elections, there is a concern over the alliances that may be necessary, as well as the tight deadlines that will follow. The new Parliamentary Assembly will be called upon to elect a new President and form a government, while the extension granted by the Eurogroup expires at the end of February. This new government will have to negotiate a new deal with Greece’s creditors.
