Greek premier to speak in parliament in major speech
Newly-elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to address the parliament in a major speech during which he is expected to present his anti-austerity policies.
In the speech that will take place later on Sunday, Tsipras is also expected to lay out his plans to renegotiate Greece’s debt deal with international lenders.
Within the last two days, Greece’s cabinet has held three meetings to discuss the government’s overall policies and prepare a comprehensive plan in order to ease the transition to a new debt deal with Greece’s international creditors “without pressure and blackmail.”
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufaki, said in the last cabinet meeting on Saturday that the government “will present a comprehensive proposal on Wednesday.”
Tsipras is also due to meet European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a Greek official speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “What the prime minister will say in parliament [on Sunday] will be... the same things that we will say in Brussels [on Thursday].”
Greece has been relying on international rescue loans since 2010. In exchange for the loans, Athens has had to impose harsh austerity measures, which have caused mounting dissatisfaction in the country. The austerity measures have included multiple tax increases, as well as cuts in pensions and salaries. In 2010, Greece enforced severe budget cuts in return for a EUR 240-billion (USD 270-billion) bailout from the troika of lenders - the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB).
While the bailout program for Greece is due to expire at the end of February, Athens has firmly rejected an extension.
The newly-elected government, headed by Tsipras, rose to power on a pledge of renegotiating the terms of the bailout deal and erasing over half of the national debt.
Tsipras and Varoufakis have been holding numerous meetings with EU leaders and ECB authorities over the bailout deal.
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