Venizelos: PASOK's Role of "The Guarantor" - Says Possible Elections Again in Feb.

PASOK is against the strategy of fear and lie, its leader Evangelos Venizelos said on Tuesday in a party meeting in the northern city of Thessaloniki. He said that the wager of the upcoming general election is not which of the two parties (New Democracy or SYRIZA) will be the leading one as well as PASOK's opponent in the elections but the risks to Greece itself, because the sacrifices that the Greek people have made over the last five years should not get wasted.

According to him, PASOK wants to be the third party and claim the role of guarantor in a possible coalition government rather than the one of the wildcard.

     "We are aiming at the third place," he noted. "Others want the role of the guarantor as well. We are the guarantors. Guarantor is one thing and a wildcard is quite another. We claim the third mandate to form a government."
     "There is no majority government, there are no second round elections, there is no excuse, no one can blackmail a second election; there should be cooperation because the negotiations with the troika should be concluded within a month," he warned.

He also attacked SYRIZA on its view over extending the extension that already has been agreed with the Troika.

     "An extension on the extension equals staying in the Memorandum, without a new loan, just on the terms. What a great idea! Of course, markets will have reacted violently, foreign investors would have rushed out, banks will be facing problems with the European Central Bank and we will be begging to remain in the Memorandum!" he said.
He then called on citizens to vote for PASOK as his party guarantees the exit from the Memorandum.
     "We are not saying ‘vote for us' to continue austerity; we are saying there are no new austerity measures," he said.

In his Wednesday morning appearance on SKAI TV, Venizelos noted that the more voters consider their options, regarding the elections, the more they will side with his party.

The PASOK leader argued that the prospect of a second electoral race in February may “derail the train” and stressed that while figureheads and governments regularly change in other European countries, the principle of State continuity is always upheld.

Venizelos was dismissive of the new party formed by George Papandreou, noting that he wished to remain focused on the major issues that are being faced by Greece at the present moment.

Following some pressure, he decided to respond by admitting that he undermined Papandreou in 2011 over the possibility of a referendum, claiming that “it would result in devastation”.

He also pointed out that it was not the bailouts that brought the crisis to Greece, but rather the crisis that brought the bailouts in Greece. Expanding further he said that everything regarding the bailouts must be investigated “but the point is to not have to investigate everything that will happen after [the elections on] January 25th.”

Sources - To Vima, ANA-MPA