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Greece Goes to Elections if Tsipras Fails to Get Confidence Vote

c0a13ebbf319653bacb8c5c920e5edacGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will call a confidence vote in Greek Parliament next week and if he fails to win that, then he will call snap elections, according to a source from the Maximos Mansion.
According to the same source, the dates for general elections will be September 20 or September 27. The need for administrative and political stability is cited as the decisive factor behind the vote of confidence call.
In case snap elections are held, they will be conducted by a transitional government. Reportedly, Supreme Court President Vassiliki Thanou is the most likely candidate to take the transitional prime minister seat.
However, Tsipras is waiting for the first disbursement of funds from the third bailout package in order for Greece to pay 3.2 billion euros on state bonds due to the European Central Bank on August 20. After that, he will go for the confidence vote.
SYRIZA dissenters unlikely to support the prime minister
The Greek prime minister has two open fronts to face: the opposition parties and the hard leftist dissenters within SYRIZA. The party’s “left platform” led by former energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, along with House Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, are openly against the deal Tsipras signed with creditors. They are also openly against Tsipras, accusing him of betraying the anti-austerity party agenda and the Greek people as well.
It is highly unlikely then that the 43 party “rebels” who voted against or abstained on Friday’s parliamentary vote on the bailout deal will give Tsipras a vote of confidence.
New Democracy and PASOK will not give Tsipras vote of confidence
Then there are the three pro-Europe opposition parties, namely New Democracy, PASOK and To Potami. They are highly unlikely to give the prime minister their vote of confidence.
Coming out of Friday’s parliamentary vote, ND lawmaker Makis Voridis said that there is absolutely no way New Democracy will give Tsipras a vote of confidence.
PASOK seconded that on Sunday by issuing an official statement: “The government has signed the third and most onerous bailout. All the negative consequences for the country and its citizens bear the signatures of Mr. Tsipras and Mr. Kammenos… We have no confidence in the Tsipras-Kammenos government and of course will not give it if we are asked,” it said.
Both parties said that they supported the government in voting for the bailout agreement but that was only because they wanted to secure the country’s place in the Eurozone. However, they have no confidence in Alexis Tsipras and the SYRIZA ANEL coalition.
To Potami has not made any statements on the issue, yet leader Stavros Theodorakis said that they voted in favor of the agreement because they believe Greece belongs in the European Union and the common currency bloc.
Two SYRIZA ministers say “elections necessary”
Energy Minister Panos Skourletia and Health Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis said that elections are necessary at the present moment.
Speaking on Skai television on Monday morning, Skourletis said that the vote of confidence decision is “self evident” and alluded that early elections are possible if Tsipras loses the confidence vote.
When asked about the emergency party congress in September, Skourletis said: “If we go to elections soon, in three or four weeks if this option is chosen, obviously a party congress cannot be fruitful.”
Speaking on Greek radio on Monday, the health minister stated that elections are an absolute necessity after Friday’s dissent; the “only solution” to the SYRIZA inner disputes.
Kouroublis also said that SYRIZA needs a fresh mandate. He said that the bailout deal cannot be implemented on the basis of the January mandate. The government needs a new one, he said.
 

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