Galery

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Maria S. Topalova

    As we know, Greeks have invented many things, from democracy to selfies, elections as a tourist attraction being one of them as well. The recipe is as follows - bring the country to the brink of economic and social collapse, behave like a gamin at international summits while the international media look at you with wide-eyed astonishment. Announce a referendum or elections every month or two and foreign correspondents, cameramen, directors will flock to the capital. And as a familiar Greek businessman says, every journalist buying a Coca-Cola and a pack of cigarettes a day contributes to the Gross Domestic Product. At the same time, live links, comments by luminaries in the world economy, reports, documentaries overexpose your country for free. Well, not all of them praising but as you know there is no bad publicity.
    However, tourism advertising of Greece in connection with the coverage of the upcoming new early parliamentary elections will be accompanied by other, far more serious, consequences for the country and especially for Alexis Tsipras, the man who is personally responsible for both the ill-fated referendum of 5 July and the announcement of parliamentary elections eight months after those that made him prime minister.
    The spiral of political instability has again begun to spin in Athens and scientists have localized its epicentre precisely at the headquarters of SYRIZA. The coalition is falling apart at an indescribably fast pace - Lafazanis and the Left Platform left first, followed by ‘picturesque’ president of parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou, the local party organizations from Preveza, Corinth, Thessaloniki... Even former government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis, former Minister of Finance Efklidis Tsakalotos and former Minister of Interior Yiannis Panousis refuse to be in the ballots.
    Polls are just starting but from the few that we now have it is clear that the premiership of Tsipras is not at all certain. New Democracy has every chance for a drawn game with SYRIZA and it is expected that no fewer than 9 parties will enter the future Greek Parliament. A coalition government of more than two parties seems inevitable and, as we know, flexibility in negotiating and persuading opponents is not Alexis Tsipras’ strong point.
    The upcoming early parliamentary elections in a row are a big test for Greek society too. Will it continue to so credulously place its fate in the hands of unscrupulous politicians who generously make unrealistic promises or will it look reality in the eye and stop seeking easy solutions? I admit that the Greeks are faced with a tough choice between parties of the recent past and leaders who are unable to fascinate people, not to mention the young; new parties with ideas that history rejected long ago and leaders with different anthropological characteristics; chameleon leadership formations without ideology and Tsipras - the politician, who announced the referendum and urged citizens to vote against the agreement with creditors and then, when 62% of them supported him, rushed to the creditors in a state of panic and concluded the worst possible agreement for Greece.
    How many voters are aware of the price that they themselves will pay for the arrogant unprofessionalism of Varoufakis, Tsipras and company will become clear once the election day ends. The Greek economy can no longer withstand such unprofessionalism. Following the introduction of capital controls banks are in a sorry state, the real economy is barely breathing, the budget has failed and, in September, households will face the tax storm under the memorandum signed by Tsipras.
    The good news is that the elections will take place at the height of the tourist season, which is the most successful so far, as the government of SYRIZA is convincing us. Visitors to Athens and other major cities will be able to savour the adrenaline of the election campaign and we, the foreign correspondents, will be happy to contribute once again to the increase of Greek GDP.