Two days after voting against the article in the Greek omnibus bill addressing the new framework on the recapitalization of Greece’s banks, which caused major disagreement within government and PASOK, party leader and former prime minister George Papandreou and was interviewed by Bloomberg TV.
With the Acropolis in the background and at seeming ease with the journalist (who addressed him as “George”) Papandreou commented on Sunday’s crucial vote, the EU elections, the possibility of early parliamentary elections in Greece and scotched rumors he is setting up a new party.
“I can understand that in very difficult circumstances we may need at some points to privatize with the taxpayer taking a hit. But to put that into law so that this is sort of a policy ad infinitum, particularly when Greeks have sacrificed so much, to take the losses again and again for bailouts of banks, I am against that in principle,” Papandreou told Bloomberg.
“It was a principled stance. I would vote against this if a similar vote came to the parliament,” he said, while also mentioning that he would never jeopardize the government’s parliamentary majority.
“This was a personal vote, a political vote and it was of course a statement on some of the things which I think that we need to see not only in Greece but in Europe, because we have systemic problems around the banking crisis,” Papandreou added.
Asked whether the government can bring the adjustment program to a successful closure and stay in power until 2016, Papandreou said he believed the coalition could complete its four-year term, making clear that he will continue to support the government.
Papandreou also ruled out speculation that he plans to step down from PASOK, the once-dominant party founded by his father, Andreas Papandreou, to establish his own political party.
“These are simply rumors,” he said.
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