The written assurances provided by Greece's FinMin to European creditors over the weekend in order to free-up the process for finalizing short-term debt relief measures for the country generated a firestorm of criticism by the opposition, with main opposition New Democracy (ND) party referring to a "humiliating" act.
Τhe center-right party, which is ahead in all mainstream opinion polls over the last six months, issued an acerbic response to the letter by FinMin Euclid Tsakalotos, entitled "Tsipras-Tsakalotos: We're sorry, we won't do it again", a reference to the assurances provided to creditors by the Tsipras government.
ND sources on Tuesday charged that the letter by the UK-based academicTsakalotos was the epitome of "contrition and subjugation for all Greeks and the country ... a confirmation that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is the best ally of the most extremist of creditors".
ND also pointed to the three-day delay in releasing Tsakalotos' letter, which was addressed to Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem and ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling.
In a reply, other sources, this time representing the leftist government, charged that ND was merely trying to cover up with "lies its lack of effort in trying to support low-income pensioners". The same sources said that only ND and its leadership tried to block the one-time bonus to 1.6 million pensioners -- essentially anyone receiving less than 850 euros in monthly social security benefits, regardless of other assets or property holdings.
