The leader of the Movement of Democrats Socialists Giorgos Papandreou claimed that his party would be the “surprise” in the upcoming elections on Sunday, in his televised interview on Star Channel.
Mr. Papandreou declared that he has no intention of cooperating with Antonis Samaras, while accusing him of gambling the Greek people’s sacrifices, taking the harshest measures, backing down on reforms, obsessing about the elections and increasing taxes. The former PM claimed that he was targeted by financial, political and media interests and claimed that he would set his own terms in forming a potential alliance with SYRIZA.
These terms would focus on establishing a reform program, negotiating a debt write off and further assistance, in order to end the austerity and return to the markets. Mr. Papandreou stressed that the Greek people should decide on these subjects through a referendum, similar to one he proposed in 2011, before he was “overthrown”, as he claims, by Evangelos Venizelos and Antonis Samaras.
The former PM accused Kostas Karamanlis of keeping the country’s true financial situation a secret, while not taking any measures to avoid the financial crisis. He also accused him of essentially bringing the IMF to Greece in 2005 when he requested technical assistance for taxation. Mr. Papandreou asserted that had Mr. Karamanlis had the opportunity to avert the inflation of the debt, but instead chose to continue spending fund and hiring people in the public sector.
Greece’s European partners are also in part to blame for the current situation, as Mr. Papandreou criticized former European Commission chief Barroso for not doing anything in the five years that Mr. Karamanlis was in charge in Greece, yet demanded from the recently-elected PM in 2010 to “pull the chestnuts out of the fire”.
Regarding his former party, Mr. Papandreou accused PASOK of becoming an offshoot of New Democracy, after joining Mr. Samaras in the coalition government that had a far-right slant. Nevertheless, he noted that PASOK was a “hodgepodge” of tribal chiefs and capable people who have unfortunately lost their principles, values and radicalism.
