Federation of Industries seeks a government with SYRIZA's participation

A historical taboo was brought down today with the election result as the backdrop. Industrialists are asking for the participation of a Leftist party in the government, specifically SYRIZA, which is characterized as the big winner of the election.

This statement was made by the president of the Federation of Greek Industries and Enterprises Dimitris Daskalopoulos, who spoke of an anti-memorandum vote of the people who condemned the “managerial, moral and ideological criminality that they demonstrated against the crisis”.

He described it as desirable “to form a genuine government of national unity and popular legitimacy, which would also include the great winner of the election - SYRIZA - with a clear anti-memorandum position”.

Otherwise, and this does seem possible, Mr. Daskalopoulos sees resorting to polls again as a way out.

Furthermore, Daskalopoulos’ statement is as follows:

“In the old setting, yesterday’s popular vote is a vote of rage, an anti-memorandum vote, a vote of punishment. The popular verdict was bold and conscious. The people rejected the protagonists of the vicious partisan past, condemning it.

Elections revealed a fertile impasse, through a fragmented landscape. It would be desirable, in the context of exploratory mandates, to form a genuine government of national unity and popular legitimacy, which also includes the great winner of the elections, SYRIZA, with a clear anti-memorandum position. Thus a chance would be given to form a national negotiating front which would claim from a changing Europe new terms of treating Greece, according to a national development exit plan from the crisis.

However, there is the broader horizon of our national future that does not allow for illusions. These elections were not only a census as to the decomposition of the political forces of the post-junta regime. But a new election can, this time, show a government - it is doubtful whether it will give a new direction to our future. This can only occur if through decomposition, the prerequisites for the reshaping of a political system are re-formed, capable of giving a clear and long-term solution to the socioeconomic problem of the country. Only then can there be a viable government and a viable national future within the new Europe”.

Concern of manufacturers about a potential non-government

The SBEE managements reflect debate and concern about yesterday’s election results, underlining that in case of a non-government, the future path of the country will be negatively impacted. They are asking for the cooperation of parliamentary parties, political maturity and calm, in order to avoid negative outcomes. “Yesterday’s election result furthers the concern of the business world about continued uncertainty. There are many problems and risks arising from potential anarchy: default, exiting the Eurozone and financial ruin for all of us. Thus it is imperative […] to have agreements and cooperations between the parliamentary parties to prevent the risk of national disaster. In addition, the federation adds that everyone must show political maturity, avoiding talk of impossible proposals and adopting the route of rescuing the country through realistic proposals that can be implemented easily and quickly”.

Government of national salvation demanded by craftsmen.

The president of the Thessaloniki industrial chamber, Panagiotis Papadopoulos, spoke of the risk of political instability “after yesterday’s vote against the big parties”: “Yesterday’s complete collapse of the big parties and entry of extreme voices do not leave much room for optimism. Instead, I worry that the possibility of a new round of elections is open, which would sink the country into adventures yet again. The country should be ruled by a government of national salvation”.