The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met with a number of New Democracy MPs in the lounge in Parliament and told them to “forget about early elections”, in an effort to reassure them. Mr. Samaras also expressed his fear of a bank run, should SYRIZA ever come to power.
During his speech at the International Fair in Thessaloniki Alexis Tsipras demanded general elections and confidently argued that his party would manage to form a government. Mr. Samaras was highly critical of the opposition leader’s welfare and reform proclamations, citing the recent Ministry of Finances cost analysis of SYRIZA’s plans.
When asked about the upcoming debt negotiations with the troika, the Prime Minister estimated that the discussions would probably be complete by the end of the year. On his way out from Parliament, Mr. Samaras noted that “anyone talking about elections at the moment either does not know politics, does not want what’s best for the country or is serving his own interests”, in response to SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras’ call for early elections.
