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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Foreign Press on the Greek Presidential Ballot Results

Several international mass media commented negatively on the results of the first ballot in the Greek presidential election. Some even used harsh words to express worry over the political uncertainty in Greece. A Guardian report says that “uncertainty fuels concerns over eurozone stability.” Further on, the article says that the coalition may need the votes of neo-Nazi Golden Dawn MPs who were allowed to take leave from prison in order to vote in the House. According to Deutsche Welle, the result was “bad” and in case there is no president of the republic elected, snap elections will lead to serious political and economic complications. The report talks about a “Greek tragedy” in case SYRIZA wins the general elections. Quoting a financial analyst on AFP, the report says that, “if Greece inverts the progress of reforms, the country may enter an economic abyss.” The Financial Times talk about failure in the first ballot, but the report has an optimistic note quoting an anonymous New Democracy member who says that there is still time to get the 180 votes needed. At the same time, the report includes a PASOK member statement who says, “Now it’s hard to elect president.” French Le Point says that the lawmakers extended the suspense for Greeks and the international markets. A Bloomberg report describes the ballot results as a false step, but says that everything is open still. Finally, Italy’s La Repubblica talks about “black smoke” coming out of the Greek parliament — using the reference to elections for the Pope — and speculates on the political maneuvers of PM Antonis Samaras to win the 20 extra votes needed.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com