On
the eve of a critical referendum, Greek minister and senior Syriza
party member Giorgos Katrougalos tells FRANCE 24 that Europe’s elites
are “allergic” to popular votes and are seeking regime change in Greece.
After a
dramatic week
that saw Greece default on its debts, close its banks and start
rationing cash, Greeks vote on Sunday on whether to accept or reject
tough conditions sought by international creditors to extend a lending
lifeline that has kept the debt-stricken country afloat.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has urged fellow Greeks to
vote “No”
to the new austerity measures proposed by the country’s creditors,
saying this would strengthen his hand at the negotiating table. But EU
leaders have warned Greek voters that a negative outcome could
jeopardize the country’s place in the euro zone.
In
an interview with FRANCE 24, Greece’s minister for administrative
reforms dismissed EU warnings of “Grexit” as “psychological blackmail”
designed to scare Greeks into saying “Yes” to more austerity.
“There
is no kind of institutional provision in the treaties for [leaving the
Eurozone],” Katrougalos said, accusing Europe’s elites of being
“allergic” to referendums “because they don’t want people to speak about
issues that are of vital interest to them”.
The senior Syriza
official said Sunday’s vote was not only about Greece, but “about two
opposing visions of Europe: a social one and a neoliberal one”.
Syriza to stay on if 'Yes' wins
Katrougalos
said the Greek government had made a lot of concessions at the
negotiating table before calling a referendum, claiming that the
creditors’ rejection of proposals put forward by Greek negotiators were
politically motivated.
“The real reason for rejecting our
proposals was to get rid of the only left-wing government in Europe that
could represent an alternative to the prevailing orthodoxy,” he said.
Asked
whether he would resign in the event of a victory for the “Yes”, as
Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has promised to do, Katrougalos said
he understood that the finance minister could not accept a deal that was
“bad for Greece” but that the Syriza-led government also had other
duties to fulfill.
“We have a mandate to handle not just the
European perspective, but also to break with the system of oligarchs,”
he said. “And I don't think giving the power back to them is a good idea
for the people of Greece.”
-
Municipal
workers carry ballot boxes into a warehouse in Athens on July 2, 2015,
in preparation for the upcoming referendum. Greece's Syriza government
has hinted that it may resign should the "Yes" camp win on Sunday.
(Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis, AFP)
-
A
woman passes by the headquarters of the Bank of Greece daubed with the
word "No" and a portrait of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble,
whose hardline stance in negotiations with the Greek government has
angered many in Greece. (Photo: Aris Missinis, AFP)
-
A
distressed pensioner sits on the ground outside a national bank branch
in Thessaloniki on July 3 as banks opened only for pensioners to allow
them to withdraw their pensions, with a limit of 120 euros. (Photo:
Sakis Mitrolidis, AFP)
-
Pro-EU
protesters hold a banner reading "Yes" during a demonstration in front
of the parliament in Athens on June 30. EU leaders have sought to cast
the vote as a referendum on Greece's place in the euro zone. (Photo:
Aris Messinis, AFP)
-
A
sticker reads "No" on the palm of a protester during a demonstration in
Athens on July 3. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged voters to ignore
European scaremongering and vote "No" as polls showed support swinging
behind the "Yes" campaign. (Photo: Aris Messinis, AFP)
-
Police
face anti-EU protesters in front of the European Commission offices in
Athens on July 2, during a demonstration supporting the "No" vote.
(Photo: Louisa Gouliamaki, AFP)
-
Pensioners
queue outside a bank branch in Athens on July 1. Failure to reack a
deal with Greece's creditors has deprived the state and banks of
much-needed liquidity, leaving the country on the verge of bankruptcy.
(Photo: Aris Messinis, AFP)
-
Pensioners
outside a bank in Athens on July 2. The Greek government has accused
the European Central Bank of purposefully stopping its transfers of
emergency liquidity to Greek banks in order to scare people into voting
"Yes" on Sunday. (Photo: Aris Messinis, AFP)
-
Pensioners
try to enter a bank branch in Athens on July 1. Pictures of distressed
pensioners have highlighted the plight of the country ahead of Sunday's
critical referendum. (Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis, AFP)
-
Municipal
workers carry ballot boxes into a warehouse in Athens on July 2, 2015,
in preparation for the upcoming referendum. Greece's Syriza government
has hinted that it may resign should the "Yes" camp win on Sunday.
(Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis, AFP)
-
A
woman passes by the headquarters of the Bank of Greece daubed with the
word "No" and a portrait of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble,
whose hardline stance in negotiations with the Greek government has
angered many in Greece. (Photo: Aris Missinis, AFP)
Date created : 2015-07-04
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