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Greece: ‘No-one can ignore the will of the people’

Tsipras hopes No win will ease creditors’ stance

by Our Foreign Desk

GREEK voters went to the polls yesterday to vote in a knife-edge referendum that is likely to pose more questions than it answers, whichever way it goes.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras triggered the referendum in response to his government’s failure to secure agreement with the creditors’ troika — the EU commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF.

He urged a No vote, saying that this would provide a strong mandate for his government in future negotiations.“No-one can ignore the will of the people to take their lives in their hands,” he said yesterday after casting his own vote.

Mr Tsipras insisted that the referendum “defeats fear and ultimatums,” adding: “Today, democracy is defeating fear … I am very optimistic.”

His Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said: “Today, after five years of failures and mistakes, the Greek people have the opportunity to decide on the last ultimatum.

“This is a sacred moment — a moment of hope for all of Europe … that a common currency and democracy can co-exist.”

However, an initial wave of popular support for the government position has been eroded in the past week as EU officials and politicians have portrayed the vote as equating to a ballot on continued Greek membership of the eurozone.

Conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras cast his vote yesterday, saying: “Today, we Greeks decide on the fate of our country We vote Yes to Greece. We vote Yes to Europe.”

European Parliament president Martin Schulz told German public radio: “I hope people say Yes. If after the referendum, the majority is a No, they will have to introduce another currency because the euro will no longer be available for a means of payment.”

As the voting progressed, large queues formed once again at ATM machines so that people could take out their daily limit of €60, which was set as part of banking restrictions imposed on June 28 in an attempt to halt a run of withdraws.

Although the most recent opinion polls show a late swing back to No, popular support for staying in the eurozone is overwhelming at 75 per cent, which poses a real dilemma for Syriza and the EU establishment.

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