Tsipras claimed that the Greeks are still at the negotiating table and a deal could potentially move forward depending on the outcome of today’s Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers.
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The Greek government insists that Sunday’s referendum is a specific vote on the specific terms of the bailout it received during the financial crisis and that if a “no” vote is returned the people will have decisively spoken and Greece will thus have a stronger mandate to negotiate with the creditors.
Pavlopoulos, a conservative law professor and veteran politician, was elected as head of state in February. If a “No” wins we are going to have another agreement which will be viable. “By the way, they’re asking for the extension of a program which has already expired”, an official told Reuters.
Greece’s debt crisis has sparked fears that the country could leave the eurozone, in what has been nicknamed the “Grexit”. On Thursday, Bloomberg TV asked Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis if he would remain in his post should “Yes” win the vote.
“I worked for 50 years on the sea and now I am a beggar for 120 euros”, one pensioner in Athens said.
The IMF official admitted the European Union forecasts of Greece’s additional needs are lower than the Fund’s.
Meanwhile, a worker in a London shoe shop has launched an online crowdfunding campaign to raise the money for Greece to meet its now-expired International Monetary Fund debt repayment. He said his government was working to get a better deal for the Greek people, particularly the elderly.
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said finance ministers had a conference call on Wednesday evening and they saw “no grounds for further talks at this point”. In his letter, he cites “amendments, additions, or clarifications” to the previous deal, softening the tax hikes and pension cuts that creditors demanded.
Varoufakis claimed Greece was being treated as a “debt colony” that doesn’t have rights.
Greece’s ruling leftist Syriza party has hinted that if it loses the vote it may disband the government and call a snap election.
He is also warning against handing over control of the country’s finances to its creditors.
A so-called Grexit, according to S&P, would cause Greek economic output to fall by 20 percent below what it would otherwise have been after four years. Greece and European leaders agree that the Mediterrean nation has to cut its budget.
Stephen Schwarzman said he expects Greek voters to support a referendum on austerity that may seal the nation’s future as part of the Eurozone. He also denied that a “no” vote would necessitate a Greek exit from the eurozone. “There are no immediate consequences for France”.
China sees Greece as a portal into both Europe and Africa for the distribution of Chinese products.
The Greek minister argued that these signals show that “official Europe, too, would vote “No” on its own “final” offer”, confident that Greece would stay in the eurozone and that deposits in Greece’s banks were safe. Had Europe agreed to the proposal, or at least to new talks, it seemed possible that the referendum would not be needed at all.
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Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has made a defiant speech as cash withdrawal limits begin to bite for Greek bank customers.
