Tsipras calls for Greece to say ‘no’ as poll shows voters evenly divided
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THE brief but intense campaign in Greece’s critical bailout referendum ended yesterday, with simultaneous rallies in Athens supporting “yes” and “no” answers to a question in what an opinion poll suggests could be a very close vote.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called the referendum last weekend, asking Greeks to decide whether to accept creditors’ proposals for more austerity in exchange for more loans — even though those proposals are no longer on the table.
He says a “no” vote would put him in a stronger position to seek a better deal for Greece within the 19-nation eurozone to reduce its 320 billion euros (US$355 billion) national debt and make payments more sustainable.
In a televised address to the nation, Tsipras yesterday urged Greeks to vote “no to ultimatums, divisions and fear.” He emphasized that tomorrow’s referendum is not a vote on whether Greece will remain in the euro, Europe’s joint currency.
But opposition parties, and many European officials, say a “no” vote would drive Greece out of the euro and into an even more impoverished future.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told Ireland’s RTE radio that an agreement with the country’s creditors “is more or less done” and that the only issue left is debt relief.
But the head of the eurozone finance ministers’ group, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, harshly rejected those comments, saying negotiations are not still going on.
“There are no new proposals from our side and, whatever happens, the future for Greece will be extremely tough,” Dijsselbloem said. “To get Greece back on track and the economy out of the slump, tough decisions will have to be taken and every politician that says that won’t be the case following a ‘no’ vote is deceiving his population.”
A poll conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday and published in the To Ethnos newspaper yesterday showed the two sides in a dead heat. It also showed an overwhelming majority — 74 percent — want the country to remain in the euro, compared to 15 percent who want a national currency.
Of the 1,000 respondents to the nationwide survey by the ALCO polling firm, 41.5 percent will vote “yes” and 40.2 percent “no,” well within the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Another 10.9 percent were undecided and the rest said they would abstain or leave their ballots blank.
Both sides were trying to sway the undecided in yesterday’s rallies which were held 800 meters apart in central Athens.
The vote could be the most important in Greece’s modern history, but the question is unclear and many voters are confused about what’s at stake.
The Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, was yesterday due to rule on a motion brought by two private citizens asking the court to rule the referendum illegal.
The vote “is invalid because it expressly violates the constitution, which stipulates that a referendum cannot take place on economic matters,” Spyridon Nicolaou, one of the two filing the motion, told reporters.
A separate group has filed a counter-motion supporting the referendum. Dimitris Belantis, one of those seeking to ensure the vote goes ahead, claims the Council of State has no jurisdiction over the matter and that the constitution stipulates popular votes can be held on “crucial national matters.”
Greek banks have been closed during the weeklong campaigning to staunch a run, with cash machines allowing daily withdrawals of up to 60 euros — although in practice this has been reduced to 50 euros as most machines have run out of 20 euro notes.
Some banks opened to let pensioners withdraw up to 120 euros a week, with crowds of elderly people waiting outside the doors for hours.
The country’s bailout package expired on Tuesday, and Wolfgang Schaeuble, Germany’s finance minister, said yesterday that any negotiations after the Greek vote “will take a while.”
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