The Greek government’s latest proposal, which was presented and discussed at Monday’s meetings in Brussels, have caused reactions within SYRIZA and the government.
The first warning came from the Minister of National Defense and Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos, who declared that he would not accept the abolition of the discounted VAT rate on the islands. Vice President of Parliament and SYRIZA MP Alexis Mitropoulos [pictured] later told Star Channel that he does not believe that these “extreme and antisocial” measures can be brought to Parliament for approval.
SYRIZA MP Yannis Michelogiannakis also commented on Channel 9 that an agreement based on the government’s new proposals would be catastrophic for Greece and argued that such an agreement will only exacerbate the social destitution that his party was promised to end. Mr. Michelogiannakis called the Prime Minister to reject such a deal, particularly if it is not accompanied by a debt restructure and investment plant to support growth in the Greek economy.
Furthermore, in response to the rumor that the Greek proposal was not accepted because it was signed by Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, he estimated that the aim of the creditors was to humiliate Greece. Mr. Michelogiannakis declared that he will not support an agreement that includes the measures that have been made public so far. He also warned that there were many more MPs, some even close to Mr. Tsipras, will also vote against such an agreement.
When asked about the possibility of a default or Grexit, should an agreement not be reached, Mr. Michelogiannakis responded that the European partners were bluffing and will not dare expel Greece from the single currency zone. As such, he called the PM to push for an even better agreement.
