The man arrived at his first day at work as the finance minister of an economy on the verge of exiting the Eurozone on a dazzling Yamaha motorbike which got him the title of the “coolest politician in Greece”.
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Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has announced he is quitting his post, saying his presence would hamper aid talks.
It was “an idea that the Prime Minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement“.
Athens exploded in celebration over the result, with thousands streaming into Syntagma Square, waving Greek flags, chanting, and setting off fireworks.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said in his resignation statement that his decision was made to further the Greek peoples’ cause.
There was no immediate announcement of his replacement. They called for a summit of the euro zone, which will take place on Tuesday in Brussels.
As finance minister Varoufakis, a ex- economics professor who once taught at Sydney University, has been front and centre in the stand-off between Greece and its creditors since the left-leaning Syriza coalition came to power in January on a platform of opposition to enforced fiscal reforms sought Eurogroup members.
Panos Kammenos, leader of the Independent Greeks, has reacted to opinion polls showing a close race but a likely win in Sunday’s referendum by the “no” vote.
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.
Asian markets mostly fell Monday, as economists said the markets were not expecting such a decisive “no” vote.
The European Central Bank is meeting Monday to discuss extending a new lifeline to Greek lenders, which have been closed for a week under capital controls that were imposed by Tsipras to stem withdrawals. The assistance, now at about 90 billion euros, has been maintained but not increased in past days, leaving the country’s financial system in a stranglehold.
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, center, speaks to the media after voting at a polling station in Athens, Sunday, July 5, 2015.
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“A new effort is beginning”, he said, adding that Tsipras would move fast to conclude a deal with Greece’s creditors. Dijsselbloem called the Greek “No” result “very regrettable for the future of Greece“. These four months, however, were tumultuous at best.
