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Samaras seeks ‘national salvation’ coalition, by George Gilson, 17 Jun 2012

«Pro-memorandum New Democracy has won a relative majority in parliament, and the race is on to form a coalition government that can secure Greece’s place in the eurozone.
ND is expected to end up as first party, with a 2.4 percent lead over leftwing Syriza, according to an announcement by the Singular Logic company that processed the polling data, based on 18 percent of polling precincts nationwide.
The projection gives New Democracy 29.5 percent of the vote, with 128 seats (including the 50-seat-bonus that goes to the first party) in the 300-member legislature. Syriza is expected to receive 27.1 percent, with 72 seats.
Of the parties that might be willing to form a coalition with New Democracy, Socialist Pasok is expected to receive 12.3 percent (33 seats), Democratic Left 6.2 percent (17 seats) and Independent Greeks 7.6 percent (20 seats).
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras called ND leader Antonis Samaras shortly before 10 pm to congratulate him and concede defeat.
“There he is, there he is – the prime minister” chanted party supporters as Samaras arrived at Zapeion Hall to make a victory statement, shortly after 10pm.
Samaras said that he will respect the signature and commitments of the country and he called for a broad-based, “national salvation government”. 
“The Greek people voted for the country’s European course and for us to remain in the euro,” he declared on national television. 
He called on all political forces that share those aims to participate in a national unity government. That could include, aside from Pasok and Democratic Left, the anti-memorandum Independent Greeks, led by Panos Kammenos. 
Kammenos before the election said that he could enter a government with ND and Pasok, as long as party leaders Samaras and Venizelos are not in the government. 
In an effort to foreshadow possible changes to the bailout, Samaras said that he wants “to add to our commitments the necessary policies for growth and to combat unemployment”.
Samaras has pledged to attempt to renegotiate several points in the bailout memorandum, including an extension of the fiscal adjustment period. That type of renegotiation is at the core of the Pasok and Democratic Left programmes.
Samaras is expected to attempt to form a broad-based coalition, for which socialist Pasok and Fotis Kouvelis’ Democratic Left are prime candidates.
Syriza will not be in that coalition. In his nationally televised statement, Tsipras said his party is the core of the popular, anti-memorandum majority.
Tsipras said that he will continue to oppose austerity measures and the selloff of state assets, as demanded by Greece’s creditors. He said that the new government would do well to exploit the extremely strong opposition to exact better terms from Greece’s creditors.
He attributed Syriza’s defeat to the unprecedented attacks on the party and the psychological terror exercised by the “unholy alliance” of the domestic and international political elite, which pressured the electorate not to vote for Syriza.
Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos is trying to drive a hard bargain, insisting that Syriza enter a coalition government, because he believes Syriza as main opposition party might undermine the work of the government. He called for a government of “national co-responsibility”, comprised of ND, Syriza, Pasok and Democratic Left.
Venizelos said that President Karolos Papoulias should overlook the exploratory mandates given to the top three party leaders, to see if they can form a government. Instead, he said, Papoulias should convene a conference of party leaders to form a coalition immediately.
The result in the crucial repeat election will have far-reaching consequences on Greece’s eurozone membership and on the stability of the common currency. Nearly 200 foreign correspondents from Brussels to Beijing were accredited to cover the elections.
The Greek electorate was subjected to unprecedented pressure tactics by the German and European political establishment in the run up to the elections. German officials repeatedly declared that careful implementation of the bailout deal is the necessary condition for continued loans.
In the German media, both Financial Times Deutschland and Bild ran editorials advising Greeks to vote down Syriza and to choose New Democracy.
The rise in New Democracy’s numbers came after party leader Antonis Samaras called for a centre-left front to defeat Syriza, on the grounds that the left wing party would lead Greece out of the euro. That severely compressed the polling numbers of Independent Greeks, an ND splinter party.
In the Syriza camp, cadres attribute the party’s rise since the May 6 elections to a strong social current that is in favour of a radical overhaul of the austerity policies of the bailout memorandum.»
Fonte: http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/8/56348

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