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"I think all the trouble in Greece and these anti-European sentiments that are dominant in Greek society are due to the events that took place in the early 1980s. It is interesting to remember how Greece accessed the European Community. I would say that this happened by coincidence, because of the Cold War and on the insistence of Konstantinos Karamanlis. But the European spirit has never managed to spread in the society. By ridiculous coincidence, after Greece had already secured the accession to the European Community in 1981, people voted for PASOK, despite the anti-European rhetoric of the party. This purely opportunistic anti-European rhetoric of Andreas Papandreou has so much brainwashed at least one or two generations of Greeks, that it is very strong today too. While crying out against Europe, Andreas Papandreou received subsidies. I remember his slogan, "without NATO bases of death", but at the same time, he received 500 billion drachmas rent for each of them. In practice, he cried out against the bases to increase the rent. This ambiguous attitude has always been in force; it was very much strengthened by Andreas Papandreou and its spirit is still hovering in Greek society. For years, Greek society has had this attitude towards Europe: i.e., we are members with all rights arising therefrom, without obligations and with outstretched hand to get "what we are due." In fact, nothing was due to them, but that was their way of thinking. This anti-European attitude is still very strong in society today.

The main argument of Karamanlis in 1979 was that Greece belongs to the West. This historic and strategically accurate, in my opinion, phrase has not been taken seriously by the Greeks for the past 30 years since it was stated. Even today, Greek society believes that Greece belongs to the Greeks - also one of the slogans of Andreas Papandreou in the 1980s.

Over the past two difficult years, that subconscious belief that Greece does not belong to Europe but to the Greeks came to the surface and largely explains today's turbulent passions and fierce confrontation with Germany, Europeans, Brussels, the so-called "dumb Franks." My opinion is that Andreas Papandreou poisoned the Greeks with his rhetoric and that poison is still in the veins of society."

According to Plamen Tonchev, the anti-European attitude of Greece is also based on the cultural and even civilizational background of the people. Historically and geographically, the country is really at a crossroads and is located closer to the Arab world than to France and the Netherlands. "It also determines the attitudes of Greeks towards life in general, to Europe and I think that it is a factor that must also be considered."

Upcoming elections and their possible outcomes are troubling not only the parties but also a large part of society. Voters prefer many of the smaller parties that have sprung up recently and no one dares to forecast the outcome of the vote.

"The trends are approximate and all is based on assumptions. One of them is that it is hard for there to be a single-party government. Second, it is unclear whether the two major parties PASOK and New Democracy will manage to establish a stable government, even if they reach an agreement. I think, all that is certain, at least as it seems now, is that there will be a gap between political power and society. All polls show that society is against the stabilization programme, belt tightening, the painful measures. Even if there is a consensus at a parliamentary and governmental level that the recovery programme will have to continue, there will be strong public opposition. This has already aroused apprehension in the media. Lenders also share their fear of the day following the election. It is not a coincidence that they were against these elections, but they could not stop them. In the end, it really is a matter of national sovereignty. I guess after announcing the election results on 6 May, if they actually do take place then, meetings will be held to discuss the position of Europe and the Troika to Greece and the new government. I suppose there will be underhand pressure through all diplomatic channels to form a government that supports the implementation of the programme, at least in words. But all this is hypothetical. I think no one is able to state anything for certain. The fragmentation of the political spectrum is not helpful either. Right now, no one can say what the balance of power in parliament will be. Friends working in poll agencies say that for the first time in many years, no one is convinced of the truthfulness and accuracy of the data submitted."