Former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis dismissed reports in the Greek media that he will stand as a candidate in Germany for the European elections in 2019.
The leader of the DiEM25 movement claimed that his Euractiv news site interview, was misinterpreted.
Varoufakis said that he explained in the interview that DiEM25’s intention is to give European voters the chance to vote in the European elections for candidates from all over Europe, who have embraced its agenda.
To explain the spirit and importance of transnationality, Varoufakis set as an example the possibility of a Greek running in Germany, a German in Greece, and an Italian in France. He never mentioned a particular candidate in any country, he claims.
In the Euractiv interview, Varoufakis also expressed his views on French president Macron’s European vision.
While he sides with Macron’s federalist elements; including a transnational list for the 2019 European elections, Varoufakis is very critical of his first steps.
“The speech he gave in Greece was pathetic. Coming to tell us that Greece is out of the crisis is an insult, and speaking from the Acropolis, where countless dictators spoke to Greeks adds insult to injury,” said Varoufakis.
The only way to force Germany into siding with France on relaunching the federalist process is the empty-chair tactic, he says. A form of “constructive disobedience” that he elaborates on in his recently published book “Adults in the room.”
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