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Alexis Tsipras, Greek Premier, Signals Possible Referendum Vote on Credit Deal
Source: New York Times
Alexis Tsipras, Greek Premier, Signals Possible Referendum Vote on Credit Deal
By NIKI KITSANTONIS APRIL 28, 2015
ATHENS — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece said on Tuesday that he might resort to calling a public referendum on any deal with the country’s international creditors if the package seems to go beyond the political mandate that brought his leftist government into power early this year.
The statement came a day after Mr. Tsipras overhauled his negotiating team in an effort to accelerate debt talks and unlock crucial rescue funding. The shake-up sidelined the finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who has frustrated eurozone officials with his abrasive style and perceived foot-dragging, installing a more mild-mannered Foreign Ministry official, Euclid Tsakalotos, to handle day-to-day discussions.
Whether Greece’s international creditors will welcome the prospect of a referendum on a deal with the Greek government remains to be seen.
Mr. Tsipras, in his first live television interview since coming to power in January on pledges to roll back austerity, expressed confidence that Greece would swiftly secure a deal with the country’s creditors. He said he expected an agreement by May 9, just three days before Greece must make a debt repayment of around 760 million euros, or about $826 million, to the International Monetary Fund.
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By NIKI KITSANTONIS APRIL 28, 2015
ATHENS — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece said on Tuesday that he might resort to calling a public referendum on any deal with the country’s international creditors if the package seems to go beyond the political mandate that brought his leftist government into power early this year.
The statement came a day after Mr. Tsipras overhauled his negotiating team in an effort to accelerate debt talks and unlock crucial rescue funding. The shake-up sidelined the finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who has frustrated eurozone officials with his abrasive style and perceived foot-dragging, installing a more mild-mannered Foreign Ministry official, Euclid Tsakalotos, to handle day-to-day discussions.
Whether Greece’s international creditors will welcome the prospect of a referendum on a deal with the Greek government remains to be seen.
Mr. Tsipras, in his first live television interview since coming to power in January on pledges to roll back austerity, expressed confidence that Greece would swiftly secure a deal with the country’s creditors. He said he expected an agreement by May 9, just three days before Greece must make a debt repayment of around 760 million euros, or about $826 million, to the International Monetary Fund.
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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/business/international/in-greece-tsipras-signals-possible-referendum-vote-on-credit-deal.html