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Greek PM resigns, requesting snap general elections

Xinhua, August 21, 2015

• File photo taken on Aug. 14, 2015 shows Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reacting in the parliament in Athens, capital of Greece. [Photo/Xinhua]

  Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras submitted his Leftist government's resignation on Thursday evening, asking for a fresh mandate in snap general elections this autumn to implement the third bailout and lead Greece to the exit of the debt crisis.

  "The popular mandate I received on January 25th has run its course. Now the sovereign people of Greece must weign in," Tsipras said in a televised statement shortly before formally handing his resignation to the President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

  The date of the ballots has still not been clarified, although government sources insisted that the elections will most likely take place on Sept. 20.

  It will be the third time in less than a year that Greek voters will reach polling stations, after January's national polls that brought the Leftist- led ruling coalition with the Right- wing Independent Greeks in power and the July 5 referendum on the draft proposal Greece's international lenders had proposed as basis for the third Greek bailout in five years.

  As opposition parties and rebels within his Radical Left SYRIZA party in their first reactions to the announcement accused the young leader of using the snap elections as a means of resolving inter-party disputes, media commentators and political analysts in Athens talked about a risky gamble.

  During Thursday's address, Tsipras said that he felt it was his moral duty to ask Greek people's opinion again on the way forward after the signing of the third bailout his government reached with lenders this summer to keep Greece afloat and in the euro zone.

  He admitted that the final agreement for the disbursement of 86 billion euro loans in exchange of more painful austerity and reform measures over the next three years was not what his party aimed for. He argued however that it was the best possible result in difficult times after marathon tough negotiations with lenders.

  "If he had indeed succeeded over the past few months, he had no reason to call for early elections," Vangelis Meimarakis, the leader of the main opposition conservative New Democracy party told media in a press conference on Thursday night.

  He blasted Tsipras for leading the country at the brink of default and Grexit with his risky tactics in negotiations with creditors and of "achieving" to close the banks for weeks and introduce capital controls since June 29 that have dealt a serious blow on the ailing economy.

  The socialists and the centrist River (Potami) party backed the argument, criticizing the Premier's choice to force early elections as an "admission of inability to rule" and a "tragic" move that could harm the country's interests.

  According to political analysts Tsipras took the step with the belief that he can emerge stronger from the polls, strengthen his hold on SYRIZA following a party mutiny over the bailout and create a more stable coalition to implement the program.

  Tsipras' critics expressed concern that the elections could prolong political uncertainty and derail, or at least delay, the implementation of bailout commitments necessary for the release of further vital aid to Greece in coming months to restore stability and kick start growth to overcome the five year crisis.

  A few hours before the government's resignation, Greece had received the first 26 billion euro installment of the latest bailout on time to make a loan repayment to the European Central Bank that fell due on Thursday and cover other financial obligations. Ten billion euros were allocated for the recapitalization of Greek banks and one billion for the payment of overdue obligations of the Greek government to the private sector to ease the pressure on real economy.

  SYRIZA's Left Platform that headed the rebellion against the new bailout in recent votes in the parliament issued a statement on Thursday night warning Tsipras that "his effort to catch us off guard will fail."

  The dissidents were expected to form a new anti-bailout party within the next few days that could win critical votes from SYRIZA.

  Regardless of which party wins the elections, it was most certain that in a fragmented political landscape in Greece in recent years no party will secure clear parliamentary majority and will need to seek coalition partners.

  Meimarakis stressed on Thursday night that his intention was to make all efforts so that the snap elections will be the last choice and not the first.

  Under the Greek Constitution should a government resign, the President must hand an exploratory mandate to each of the leaders of the three largest parties represented in parliament to try to form a government from the current parliament.

  Tsipras stated during his meeting with Pavlopoulos that he will not use the mandate and asked instead the President to initiate procedures for the immediate formation of a caretaker government led by the head of the Supreme Court to take the country to elections.

  Under the Constitution each mandate lasts three days. Meimarakis said that he will make full use of his mandate and try to form a unity government.

  If he fails to do so within three days, under the Constitution the mandate passes over to the third largest party elected in parliament which today is the far-Right Golden Dawn.

  If all efforts end fruitless, the President calls early elections which must be conducted within a month.

  The process of the exploratory mandates could be avoided with the agreement of political leaders and a caretaker government be appointed within hours.

  Pavlopoulos reassured welcoming Tsipras that he will exercise his duties according to the Constitution to ensure that the country will meet its commitments under the recent deal and there will be no risk for its course in European Union.

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