ATHENS - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras today announced, following a significant drop in the number of Coronavirus cases being reported, that it was now safe for the Referendum on Greek usage of the Euro, dubbed the “Eurexit Referendum,” can be resumed, setting out a new timetable in Parliament in the last few hours. Under this new timetable, the referendum will be held on the 5th December 2020, with the official campaigning period starting immediately.
The campaign had barely begun in March 2020 where a surge in Coronavirus cases caused the Referendum to be indefinitely postponed via an executive decree of the King, after being proposed by Tsipras. The referendum was one of the key promises in Syriza’s 2019 campaign and was the centre of the merger of MeRA25 deal in late 2018. In his speech to Parliament, the Prime Minister today said his government was “proud to announce, having got Coronavirus cases to safe levels, citizens will now be able to exercise their democratic right.” Critics have accused Tsipras, who is in favour of remaining in the Eurozone, of dragging his feet on the issue, arguing that a timetable could have been introduced earlier in the year.

The bill enters the parliament tomorrow, and is widely expected to pass, having support from both Syriza, the Communist Party of Greece, and Greek Solution, though the referendum has consistently encountered protest from the more pro-European main opposition party, the National Radical Union, and the centrist coalition. There is also some minor dissent expected from the more Europhilic sections on the governments, who were disappointed with MeRA merger two years ago. King Constantine has stated that we would not block the bill, arguing “it would be wrong of me to stop any democratic process.”

The “Yes” campaign is widely expected to be headed by Tsipras himself along with opposition head Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata, billed as a “national unity” campaign. Syriza has not taken a position as a party, however, and former finance minister and MeRA25 leader Yannis Varoufakis, is hoped by some to lead the “No” campaign, having been backed by KKE leader Aleka Papariga. Varoufakis has repeatedly stated that Greek Solution and Golden Dawn, the two main parties of the right of the political spectrum, would not be welcome on the campaign, leading to speculation over a split “Eurexit” campaign. More follows…

“This star is for everyone. Today a broad alliance of every citizen that envisions a just and progressive Greece of the new era comes to put this vision into action. SYRIZA takes a step into the future, a future for everyone.” The new emblem is said to be a symbol of unity, at a time when the party is fractured over the upcoming Eurexit referendum. More follows…

Greece and Egypt carry out joint military exercise in the Aegean Sea

SCIATHOS - Yesterday at 2pm, The Hellenic Royal Navy carried out naval drills alongside it Egyptian counterparts in the Aegean Sea. Billed as a “sign of friendship, and continued alignment between the two great nations,” the outing widely seen as a pre-emptive rebuttal to any Turkish aggression in the region as a show of strength. Lord Admiral Panagiotis Litsas described the exercise as “a great success” thanking his his Egyptian counterpart for their “continued commitment to preserving to the sovereignty of Greece and wider democracy. The Turkish government has so far not responded, though a rebuttal is expected soon. More follows…