The parliamentary spokesperson of SYRIZA and VP of Parliament Alexis Mitropoulos underlined the need for a government cabinet comprised of people with a broad acceptance, while stressing that the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras must promptly reform the negotiation team.

According to Mr. Mitropoulos, the government should feature people with a broad acceptance, but this does not necessarily mean that they must come from the opposition parties. Mr. Mitropoulos told Mega Channel that a broader consensus is required, because the measures that the government is called upon to implement are harsh and antisocial. The pension and farmer taxation reforms, he added, were necessary for the new bailout.

He explained that the Prime Minister must soften the impact of the measures and take the necessary initiatives to address the divide within SYRIZA. These initiatives, Mr. Mitropoulos added, must be taken on parliamentary group and central committee level.

The Vice President of Parliament also revealed that months ago he had argued that the SYRIZA-led government must not negotiate on its own, as “the Left cannot undertake this burden on its own”. He also revealed that he turned an appointment at the Ministry of Labor, in the recent reshuffle. Mr. Mitropoulos explained that he pension reform must be addressed by a national “revival and rescue” team and urged against any hasty and fragmented moves.