Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is backing Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis despite the fact that he has been targeted by his European Union peers who have reached the point of asking for his replacement.
Sources from the Maximos Mansion say that many members of the cabinet and primarily the prime minister will support Varoufakis at least until an agreement with international creditors is finalized. However, other sources within the government say that the finance minister will be one of the first to go if there is a cabinet reshuffle.
The support to Varoufakis was confirmed when the finance minister visited the Maximos Mansion on Saturday evening and talked with Tsipras, after the hammering he received during Friday’s Eurogroup in Riga. Varoufakis described his peers’ behavior towards him as political bullying. He also abstained from the official dinner that followed the session.
According to sources in Brussels, creditors “demand” the immediate replacement of Varoufakis. His absence from the finance ministers dinner after the Eurogroup is a breach of protocol and was criticized. His constant disagreement with his peers is hindering negotiations, they claim.
In February, there were reports that German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble had asked for his removal. According to recent allegations that cannot be confirmed, creditors have put the removal of Varoufakis as a condition for signing an agreement with Greece.
Varoufakis, on his part, quoted Franklin D. Roosevelt in replying indirectly to EU finance ministers via twitter. “They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hatred,” he wrote.
At the moment, head of negotiations on the technical level is the president of the Council of Economic Advisors Giorgos Chouliarakis. Sources within the government say that he may be the replacement for Varoufakis after an agreement is signed or in the first government reshuffle.
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