Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused them of blackmail.
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Athens” partners have warned over the past week that a “No’ vote would mean cutting bridges with Europe and driving Greece’s crippled financial system into outright bankruptcy, dramatically worsening the country’s 5-year-long depression.
Greeks were nevertheless alarmed this week when the government imposed capital controls, closing banks and limiting daily ATM withdrawals to just 60 euros ($67).
But some Greeks don’t see a future for the country without the European Union.
Rajoy says the eurozone has rules and regulations “to ensure its own survival”.
“No matter how many loans you take, you can not get by if you don’t produce things”.
Rajoy also said Sunday that “Greece needs to grow, create jobs, and to do so it must have policies that work to that effect”. The earliest indication of the final result is expected at 7pm Irish time.
There was little enthusiasm for a vote which many Greeks, devastated by five years of austerity, say has hardly any chance of resolving their problems.
After years of living on borrowed money and paying the price with savage austerity, Greeks will vote Sunday for more of the same (more or less) or for a rupture with Europe that could spell disaster.
Sky’s Economics Editor Ed Conway said if the predictions prove true it is a “pretty clear statement” from the Greek people that they do not want austerity. For relevant Twitter accounts, YouTube channels and websites, see below. For the referendum to be valid, turnout must be at least 40 per cent.
Ms Tsipras has argued a no vote would push the country’s creditors to offer a fairer bailout agreement.
He warned Sunday that a “Grexit” – Greece dropping out of the common euro currency used by 19 nations- would harm Europe’s credibility in the world.
But in a sense the precise terms are beside the point; what voters are really being asked is whether or not they approve of the hardline negotiating strategy of prime minister Alexis Tsipras and his radical-left Syriza party. The other possibility is that the creditors will make good on threats not to renegotiate.
Tsipras says a “no” victory would put him in a stronger position to demand concessions from the lenders, most of which are fellow Eurozone countries. Even so, she’s not surprised that younger Greeks are voting against the referendum in larger numbers.
(This corrects the spelling of Varoufakis’ first name to Yanis).
“Is Greece still in the euro after this referendum?”
A slew of opinion polls on Friday gave the “Yes” camp, which favours accepting the bailout terms, a slender lead but all were within the margin of error and pollsters said the vote was too close to call.
A “no” may lead to a chaotic departure from the shared euro currency. “The first document is titled “reforms for the completion of the current program and beyond” and the second ‘Preliminary debt sustainability analysis.’ “. In a reference to the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers – the spark that detonated global recession – Megan Greene, chief economist of the Canadian asset management firm Manulife, said: “Grexit would be a Lehman-type event, but with a much slower fuse”.
But equally obvious, he said, was that “it’s impossible to save Greece without the commitment of the Greek government: reforming pensions, fighting tax evasion, the new labour market all depend on them”.
“Today, we Greeks decide on the fate of our country”, conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras said.
Greeks will vote in a referendum tomorrow that’s unsettling both Greeks and the rest of Europe.
Dimitris Danikoglous says he is voting “yes” because he fears Greece would be in danger if it leaves the European Union.
His son, Nikolas, is on his side – and he thinks polarized Greece may be on the verge of a civil war.
In their apartment in the working-class Athens neighbourhood of Tavros, the family members squabble over espresso frappes and fruit juice. Today’s referendum result would guide them to their decision.
While Greece is displaying a defiant stance to the European Union, Beijing has sent signals to the debt-ridden country that while it hopes Greece will remain in the euro and may be prepared to offer assistance.
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Greece’s single biggest creditor, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) said, however, it was not yet demanding immediate repayment of loans worth 145 billion euros (USD 160 billion).
