Tag Archives | Karatzaferis

Karatzaferis Blasts a “Rat,” and LAOS Party Deserters

ATHENS – After seeing more of his members fleeing his sinking party, far Right-Wing LAOS leader George Karatzaferis accused one of them of being a “rat” and accused New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras of reneging on a pledge to draw him into the party out of fear he would be eclipsed. Karatzaferis was briefly in [...]

Reactions to Dora Bakoyiannis’ Return to New Democracy

ATHENS – The former New Democracy minister, who was kicked out of the party for refusing to support austerity measures and formed her own political group that failed to win seats in the May 6 elections, has returned to the Conservatives, headed by Antonis Samaras, the man who defeated her for the party leadership and [...]

Greek Election: Political Leaders Spin the Results

ATHENS – Even as the votes were still being counted in the May 6 general elections to replace a temporary, shaky coalition government, and with exit polls showing big gains for groups opposed to the austerity measures demanded by international lenders in return for $325 billion in two bailouts to prop up the country’s near-dead [...]

Venizelos Urges Greeks to Stop the Far Right and Left

ATHENS – Hoping to capture a center ground as many of Greece’s political parties are shifting toward extreme positions in hopes of garnering more popular support for the May 6 general elections, PASOK Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos told Greeks that if they vote for “goose stepping” parties, then extremists would gain seats in Parliament. While [...]

Golden Dawn, Smaller Parties Will Get Campaign Air Time

ATHENS – Greece’s curious campaign laws, which allow the ruling parties to dominate television coverage regardless of newsworthiness, have been amended by the country’s highest court, the Council of State, opening the airwaves to smaller political parties, including the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn, which is rising in the polls. The ruling means that the two [...]

New Democracy, PASOK Still Sliding, Golden Dawn Rising

ATHENS – With less than a month before an expected election to choose a new leader, support is waning for the two major parties that have taken turns ruling Greece for more than 35 years, the New Democracy Conservatives and their bitter rival PASOK Socialists who are sharing power in a shaky temporary hybrid government. [...]

New Democracy, PASOK Duel over Helping Greeks Pay Loans

ATHENS – With international lenders ready to fork over another $172 billion in rescue loans, the pressure is off Greece’s hybrid government for now and the PASOK Socialists and their bitter rival New Democracy Conservatives sharing power for now have started going at each other ahead of the May 6 election and put the reforms [...]

Despite New Bailout, Sacrifice, Greece Still on Edge of Default

ATHENS – While many political leaders in Greece expressed satisfaction with a new bailout from international lenders – this one for $170 billion needed to pay debts, workers and pensioners – dissension and doubt remained and the ratings agency Fitch downgraded Greece to its lowest rating, just above default – and that it would fall [...]

Greek Lawmakers Vote Austerity as Athens Burns

ATHENS – While anarchists warred on the streets with riot police and 40 fires lit up banks, cinemas, and businesses, the Greek Parliament approved more austerity measures designed to keep bringing in international aid to keep the debt-choked country from bankruptcy after interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned the alternative was chaos and shortages of [...]

Papademos Says He Will Remove Dissenters Because Default Would Bring Misery

ATHENS – Facing a growing mutiny in his shaky coalition government against austerity measures demanded by international lenders in return for a second bailout to keep Greece from going bankrupt, interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has told any dissenters they’ll be fired unless they support him. With time fast running out to save the bankrupt [...]

Greece Must Decide: In or Out of the Eurozone

ATHENS – With international lenders continuing to withhold aid until the Greek Parliament ratifies austerity measures agreed on by the country’s shaky coalition government, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the country now has to decide whether it wants to stay in the Eurozone of the 17 countries using the euro as a currency or return [...]

Greece Gives In, Will Fire 15,000 and Slash Minimum Wage

ATHENS – In a move that seems certain to stoke worker outrage just before a general strike and protests, Greece’s coalition government has reportedly agree to international lenders’ demands to fire 15,000 public workers this year and cut the minimum wage by 20 percent, from $986 a month to $788, leading to complaints from labor [...]