(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Greece has been a main focus of discussions related to the future of the European Union (EU). When Greeks are asked about the cause of the devastating crisis they are currently experiencing, they undoubtedly hold their own government responsible.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Greece has been a main focus of discussions related to the future of the European Union (EU). When Greeks are asked about the cause of the devastating crisis they are currently experiencing, they undoubtedly hold their own government responsible.
In May 2010, a large majority of people believe that the crisis is the result of policies within the country (64%). As expected, the government gets poor numbers on the way it has dealt with the situation, with three-in-four Greeks (76%) saying they are dissatisfied with its actions. This is hardly surprising, considering the fact that Eurostat, the EU statistics agency, described the country’s budget numbers as "unreliable" just a few weeks ago.
In March, half of people expected the austerity plan to work and get the country moving again. The mood has become sour since. Two thirds of respondents believe Greece is on the wrong track (65%) and 73 per cent foresee the economy getting "a lot" or "a little" worse in the next few months.
The debt crisis broke only two months after Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) leader Georges Papandreou led his party to victory in a legislative election. PASOK won 43.92 per cent of the vote and secured 160 seats in the Greek Parliament, ending the tenure of the conservative New Democracy (ND), which had been in power since 2004.
Papandreou now heads a government that has been severely criticized at the continental level, and has evidently become very unpopular domestically. The loan agreement with the other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—along with a series of spending cuts and tax increases—have not made people believe that the situation will improve. The expected privatization push, which will include stakes in the post office and rail operators, has already led to work stoppages by public transport staff and journalists.
Despite all of these problems, a snap election is not in the cards. Following the retirement of former prime minister Kostas Karamanlis, the ND selected Antonis Samaras—who served a culture minister under Karamanlis—as its new leader. PASOK still maintains a 10-seat majority in the legislature, and the country will probably not tolerate heading into a new ballot less than a year after the previous one.
