Open communication line between Maximou (Prime Minister’s office) and Ippokratous (PASOK headquarters)
Feverish procedures are taking place between Nea Dimokratia and PASOK for the configuration of the new government. Maximou (Prime Minister’s office) and Ippokratous (PASOK headquarters) are on an open communication line, in order to agree on the people who will make up the new cabinet, but also on the basic points of the programme agreement that will make the base of the new government layout. The announcements are expected even within the day. As for the ERT issue, Antonis Samaras, in an interview with the “Vima” newspaper, is finally admitting that ERT was sacrificed like Ifigeneia at the altar of the troika’s temands.
Time for the announcements about these issues is on a countdown, as margins for the procedures to be concluded are rather narrow, given that the Prime Minister must leave on Wednesday for Brussels, in order to take part in the Summit Conference.
Information says the two leaders had two meetings within the weekend, in which they concluded about the ministries that each side will take, while a last tête-à-tête today is not excluded, before the final announcements.
As far as the nomenclature is concerned, the information until now says that Mr. Venizelos will take on a post in the new government, that of the government vice-president, and possibly also the Ministry of Exterior.
In general, PASOK is expected to be strengthened in the new cabinet, possessing up to 30% of the posts, with 15 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, while the participation of technocrats of the modernization sector is being considered, as general secretaries.
Furthermore, “spearhead” ministries are expected to be divided: the ministry of Development and Infrastructures and the ministry of Education and Civilisation.
Always according to the same information, the procedures today aim at concluding the issue of the government reshuffle for the inauguration ceremony to take place on Tuesday morning.
We remained standing and we are continuing with new decisiveness, stated Antonis Samaras to the “Sunday Vima” newspaper, saying he is annoyed by Kouvelis’s stance and characterising Evangelos Venizelos “a fully responsible partner”.
“We will not err again, we must learn to communicate” he said.
Referring to the closing down of ERT, he spoke of a conscious choice, admitted that it happened for the 2,000 layoffs that the troika wanted to be covered and insisted on his previous statements about opacity and wasting in the company.
About the “black screen”, he stated that it was not a government choice, but “it happened because the employees of ERT occupied the building and continued broadcasting illegally”.
But DIMAR, on its behalf, insists that ERT should have opened since yesterday and repeats that not implementing the Council of the State decision is an illegal act.