Papandreou: PASOK-SYRIZA Cooperation is Possible

The former Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou was invited by the Hertie School of Governance to participate in a conference on administrative management in Europe and also gave an interview to the German Deutsche Welle. Papandreou expressed his concern about the rise of far-right parties in Europe and argued that the phenomenon is due to the dropping quality of life. Papandreou referred to a “democratic deficit” in the European Union which causes the sense of marginalization shared by Euro-skeptics. He proposed that the European Union should promote education in order to deal with this worrying phenomenon.  When asked to comment on the results of the recent municipal and regional elections in Greece and the chances of early elections in the country he answered negatively. “The result was such that it causes no immediate need for national elections,” he said. The former Greek Prime Minister stated that he is willing to help in the recovery of the center left, given that it suffered significant losses in recent years. Papandreou also said that since many former PASOK members have joined SYRIZA, there is a high possibility of a left and center left coalition.  Regarding recent revelations on the discussions of EU officials for a “Grexit” in 2011, Papandreou denied being presented with a similar plan when he served as Prime Minister. Concerning his proposal for a referendum on the bailout program, he claimed that the vast majority of Greek citizens would support the bailout.   

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