Vacations for the ministers in Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ coalition government have come to an early end as he put them back to work on Aug. 19 with a Cabinet meeting to talk over the return of envoys from international lenders last week and a host of problems.
The August holidays were peppered with troubles, from a blackout on the country’s most popular island, Santorini, during a record-breaking tourist season, the death of a 19-year-old student in an altercation on a bus with a ticket inspector, and the forced resignation of the head of the country’s privatization agency.
Among others, key talking points will be the mobility scheme to transfer or fire public workers, public administration reforms, continuing the emergency tax on real estate now in its third year that was supposed to be for one year, and allowing banks to foreclose on homes of people who can’t afford to pay what they owe because of austerity measures.
The atmosphere was said to be tense with so many problems facing the government of Samaras, the New Democracy Conservative leader and his partner, PASOK Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, whose party stands at about 5 percent in polls.
The plan to allow banks to seize homes has upset even some government MP’s but it was said they will be spoken to and ordered to fall in line and accept it. There are 11 of them who have spoken out and the government has only a five-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament.
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