The usual high-pitched political debate in the country acquired a new wrinkle this week with back-and-forth accusations between the leftist government and center-right main opposition over who is "actually" -- and clandestinely -- aiming to orchestrate a fourth bailout program after the ongoing third one ends in mid 2018.
The usual high-pitched political debate in the country acquired a new wrinkle this week with back-and-forth accusations between the leftist government and center-right main opposition over who is "actually" -- and clandestinely -- aiming to orchestrate a fourth bailout program after the ongoing third one ends in mid 2018.
"Mr. Mitsotakis' political design, as it has been outlined yet again in his address to his parliamentary group has a name: memorandum IV," was the way unnamed government sources attributed the criticism by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the president of New Democracy party.
The increasingly embattled Tsipras government has stepped up its attack against the main opposition, claiming that repeated demands for snap elections merely aim to derail the second review of the Greek program, whatever debt relief is in store and the possibility of the ECB re-accepting Greek bonds as collateral for the QE program.
ND has countered that the government is trying to lay the groundwork for negotiating a new bailout by blaming others for its failures to date.
Former Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras, who lost his seat during a snap election in January 2015, also joined in on the speculation, saying that the accumulation of so many problems -- second review, pension cuts etc -- can lead to sudden political developments.