After securing the support of the Independent Greeks and receiving an initial positive response from DIMAR, the main opposition party SYRIZA has now turned to the Communist Party for support in demanding a referendum over the controversial privatization of DEI.
In order to prompt a referendum Alexis Tsipras’ party needs to secure 120 votes in Parliament. Aside from his party’s 71 MPs, Mr. Tsipras can count on ANEL’s 13 votes, DIMAR’s 13 votes and the support from 5 independent MPs – Moutsinas, Stavrogiannis, Kasapidis, Bolaris and Kapernaros. With an estimated 102 votes, the opposition needs a further 18 votes to achieve its goal.
KKE’s general secretary Dimitris Koutsoumpas has initially rejected SYRIZA’s offer, however he has not ruled out the possibility of further discussions. Even if the Communist Party is swayed, it only has 12 MPs, which would still leave SYRIZA short of the 120 votes it needs. The opposition party is nevertheless optimistic that further independent MPs will eventually support the referendum.
While the rationale and affect of the referendum has been questioned, particularly by the coalition government, SYRIZA officers argue that the overall intention is to generate talks amongst the Left, in an effort to create a united front against the government.
