Tsipras: If I Get Elected…

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the leader of the Greek major opposition party Alexis Tsipras revealed his future plans in the case that he is elected Greek prime minister. Tsipras, who is currently paying a three-day visit to Italy in light of the upcoming EU elections, mentioned in the interview that 2014 will be an election year and revealed what his first actions as Greek PM would be. “I would be reviewing the current bankrupt bailout package imposed on Greece and also the entire European policy on responding to the crisis,” he said, while underlining that the solution to the crisis would not be found with Greece exiting the eurozone. The Greek politician also mentioned that he would seek help in Italy if he was to become head of the government in Greece, so as to combat Angela Merkel’s politics together with the other southern EU countries. “What has happened since 2008 will be taught in business schools, so as to be prevented in the future. The crisis is the product of a monetary asymmetry. The European political establishment, which was backed by people’s parties and socialists, worsened the situation. But why did they do this? In order to save the banks which held state bonds belonging to countries with large debts,” said the SYRIZA leader, upon being asked about the European financial crisis. Tsipras also talked about the need of a European “New Deal” and a new EU convention on debt modeled on the one of 1953, which wrote off a big chunk of Germany’s debt enabling the country to grow, and added, “The European Central Bank should act as a true central bank, like the Fed in the U.S., which lends money to states and not to banks.” Referring to Golden Dawn, the Greek leader said that the party is a “political product of liberalism,” mentioning that it rose to power during the years of austerity.

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