Galery

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Despite being subjected to negative criticism, the political system adopted a responsible position on Sunday. In practice, it showed that despite the pressure, at least 199 people voted and passed the measures, for which they may pay a high political price personally. But now I see that the European Union is not helping in this situation by postponing the meeting of the Eurogroup. The position of the dominant conservative forces in Europe reinforces the view of "the party of the drachma," the representatives of which argue that creditors will never stop pressing us.

How would you comment on the processes inside PASOK? Many analysts expect that the party will split.

You see, they said that PASOK would split many times before, but it has not happened yet. However, the situation is very serious at present. Until today, PASOK "lived" with two souls: the first was purely populist and the other one was the soul of modernizers. While there was money from borrowing, these souls could be reconciled with one another. But the moment the money is gone and a new model of development has to be created, these two souls cannot survive. Greece must now decide whether it wants to live isolated from the rest of the world or if it should create a production model based not on the public sector but on private initiative.

I think this split can actually be positive. Some think PASOK has to become a modern social democratic party. Others believe that the party should be free from all modernizers and return to its populist past. I do not know which of the two will happen, but certainly, the two parts cannot remain united. They will be divided into two or more pieces.

They say that the deputies disaffiliated on Sunday can unite in a new parliamentary group. What is your opinion?

Yes, they are so many that they could do it. But at the same time, they are not united among themselves, they have no identical positions. But why set up a parliamentary group. It seems that after a month or a month and a half, there will be elections. It is difficult to avoid them, the pressure on the political system is significant. If it extended the mandate of the office of Lucas Papademos more problems could appear than today.

In my opinion, the Greek political system is beyond its limits. All parties from the left to the right, despite their differences, had a common base and this was statism and populism. This ideology and practice respectively cannot continue to exist. Two camps will form in Greece: of statists and non-statists, of populists and non-populists. Most likely, they will belong to different parties. I say this because they existed before, but in the parties themselves. Therefore, entirely new political formations can form. I think they will be more ideological than the present, which are mass parties.

That will happen after subsequent election, because the difficulties that the government of Antonis Samaras will face if elected will be so great that the country will hold elections in a very short time. I hope the reason for this will not be bankruptcy. In any case, I think new elections will be held within a year or two, unless the intensive scenario mentioned recently happens: that PASOK led by Evangelos Venizelos will support the cabinet of Antonis Samaras in one way or another. If this scenario is accomplished, the government may survive. In this case, there will be a change in the political system. I think the end of deideologized parties in Greece has come. Maybe next time definitions will play a very important role.

Recently, people in Bulgaria are responding surprisingly sharply to the events in Greece. Do you have the same impression and how would you explain this?

I understand the Bulgarians. The Greeks, who have gone to Bulgaria, whether they were tourists, students or businessmen, brought the arrogance of the nouveau riche with them. Of the man that has reached a much higher level than his neighbour without any particular effort. The Greeks behaved in this way not only in Bulgaria but also in all other countries of Eastern Europe. By the way, if we could find anything positive from today's Greece it is that this arrogance, which is not consistent with the performance of the state and its citizens, will decrease.

On the other hand, what is happening now in Bulgaria is also a far-right position against a neighbour. It is, "Now you, who mocked me, have to pay or come to my level." And people should understand that the interests of the Balkan countries are common and joint efforts are needed to punish the arrogance without collapsing the countries, because this situation will be transferred to Bulgaria. The haughty north will not stop in declining Greece, it will go there, and in Romania, etc.

I understand the reactions of Bulgarian citizens. I have also felt rage for the behaviour of my countrymen towards other nations and not only to the Bulgarians. Shouts, ostentation, the tone of the "superior" to the "lower" have irritated me too. But I'm not a supporter of the logic that everything must be paid now. First, because it will not help the people cooperate and secondly, the failure of Greece will be of no advantage either to the Bulgarian, or to any other nation in the Balkans. Even in terms of benefit.