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Prime Minister George Papandreou met with the President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, on Wednesday noon, stating that this is a "historic moment", while Greek journalists cancelled their 24-hour nationwide strike, as rumours abound about the possibility of a coalition government or snap elections.
According to government sources, the prime minister will continue on Wednesday his round of telephone contacts with the political party leaders after his extraordinary meeting with Karolos Papoulias, adding that Papandreou had spoken only with Communist Party of Greece (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga and Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis before the meeting.
This clarification comes as earlier on Wednesday, a statement by Papandreou before the meeting with Papoulias that he was in contact with the party leaders to seek consensus sparked denials of such telephone contacts by ND and Syriza.
Papandreou, the sources continued, would make an address to the people later on Wednesday. The government sources left open all prospects, but for the time being ruled out snap elections.
Earlier, Pasok MP Ntinos Vrettos asked for the government to resign so that a new one would be formed of publicly acclaimed experts and politicians.
On Tuesday, Florina MP Giorgos Lianis tendered his resignation as a member of Pasok's central committee. Lianis is keeping his parliament seat and will continue to serve as an independent, leaving the ruling Pasok party with 155 MPs.
In his resignation letter addressed to the Speaker of the Parliament and to Prime Minister George Papandreou, Lianis stressed that he does not believe anymore in the government's economic policy and that "we [the government] have failed and we are forced to hide the truth from the people".
Lianis, who started his career as a journalist, was first elected to parliament on Pasok's ticket in 1989 and he has served as deputy culture minister from 1993 to 1996.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pasok MP for Kozani Alekos Athanasiadis in a radio interview said that he would vote against the medium-term programme.
"I will not vote for the medium-term programme and I assume my responsibilities," Athanasiadis said.
The government on Thursday tabled in parliament a medium-term fiscal strategy framework for the economy envisaging a new round of severe austerity measures designed to bring in overall revenues of 28.259 billion euros by 2015, as well as a 50 billion euros privatisation programme. The programme is scheduled to be put to vote in the 300-member chamber on June 28.
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I am a Hellene of the diaspora, a minor elected official who works hard for his community, unlike the bulk of whom I saw across my travels in Ellada last year.Indeed, my voters get far more value from me than they do from my colleagues because my family's ethics, on both sides of the family, have always been to work hard.
And my cousins in Ioannina do just that.
But these politicians in Ellada are another story. the economic measures laid down by the PM are extremely tough and if I had my way then performance reviews would have been introduced many months ago, starting with the Ministry of Lazyness errr Culture. I would then have slashed the numbers of councillors and members of parliament by a minimum 25% and told the rest to work for their money instead of making cafes their "offices", where they drink and drink all day.
Some readers may not agree with me but at least my ideas would help. What are your ideas? What are your alternatives to what the government is trying to do? How else could the government save money to repay debts because this is an absolute must if Ellada is to survive.
The politicians who have quit Pasok do not appear to have raised constructive criticism with alternatives, just whining and complaining.
Or do you really expect that we in the diaspora are so bloody stupid and so blinded for our love of our Patrida that we will continue to give you money, to throw money away in the so called diaspora bonds or through the new heavy taxes for those who own property over there? Just as that ridiculous set of property laws was brought in a few years back?
Ellada must change to survive. More men must work. Tourists must be treated better. Indeed tourism must be significantly expanded. Taxes must be paid. New industries must be sourced. The issue of illegal migrants must be forced onto the UN to help. Germany must be forced to pay her World war 2 reparations.
Unless the nation can understand the need for such change, Ellada is in dire jeopardy - far worse than centuries of Italian and then Ottoman domination.
ZHTO ELLAS
"Lianis had declared his intention to leave politics in order to be able to safely 'walk the streets'".
After decades in power, presiding over Greece's disaster, I hope he enjoys his peaceful walks on the street. With his generous MP's pension.