By M. Papaconstantinou
Parliament President Nikos Voutsis told “N” this week that there is no “difference of opinion” between the leftist SYRIZA-led government coalition and increasingly embattled Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos.
Voutsis’ statement comes days after a very brief but high-profile heated exchange between himself and Tsakalotos, during a televised debate in Parliament. The Parliament president refused to allow the finance minister to personally respond to criticism against him by the main opposition leader. When subsequently given three minutes to address the floor, Tsakalotos declined.
Both men belong to the ruling SYRIZA party and were elected MPs from within its candidate tickets.
Commenting on the major issue that has dominated Tsakalotos’ attention over the past few months, namely, the now delayed second review of the Greek program and tenuous relations with creditors, Voutsis echoed the government line by saying a July agreement is being “implemented to the letter.”
Moreover, he dismissed any notion of snap elections in the country or any type of referendum on the question of Greece’s place in the Euro zone.
Voutsis’ SYRIZA party is now trailing rival center-right New Democracy party by double-digit figures in all mainstream opinion polls, with both the government’s and PM Alexis Tsipras’ popularity in a free fall.
Asked about stalled negotiations to conclude a second review of the bailout program, the Greek parliament president predicted that what he called “extremist circles” among creditors will back off in the end. He also referred to a “dirty war” waged against Greece — now in its third bailout — by these same quarters.
At one point, nevertheless, he admits that SYRIZA, which swept to power in January 2015 on a wave of anti-bailout, anti-austerity promises and radical left ideology, was ” nescient” on the issue of experience in government.
