Greek Politics
Review set to resume in Athens as debt talks drag on
Negotiations aimed at clinching a staff-level agreement (SLA) between the Greek government and its lenders are due to resume in Athens on Tuesday as doubts remain about how the creditors will resolve their differences over debt relief.
Tsipras looks to build political capital from 2016 overperformance
ELSTAT’s confirmation on Friday that the 2016 primary surplus was well in excess of the agreed target appears to have given the government a boost for the time being.
Fiscal surplus back in focus ahead of IMF debt discussions
Greece’s delegation of ministers is due to head to Washington for the International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings on Thursday, hoping that it will return with at least confirmation that the IMF and the eurozone are on the same page regarding debt relief.
New Democracy's internal disputes continue to pester Mitsotakis
The Greek political scene is going through a brief lull as Parliament waits to vote on the measures the government is due to finalise with the lenders in the coming days, but New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was called into action this week amid minor unrest in his party.
With review set to resume, Tsipras looks for post-deal strategy
Following the Easter break, the Greek government’s attention will be on two main issues: Completing the review so a “global deal” can be concluded before the end of May and trying to shift the focus domestically away from the new measures and onto more positive interventions by the coalition.
Debt talks to be prime focus after Easter
Talks between Greece and its lenders are heading for a brief break over the Easter weekend but are due to resume with some urgency next week, when debt relief is expected to dominate the agenda.
Debt relief moving to centre stage in programme discussion
Comments by International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde regarding the debt relief that the eurozone will provide Greece have shed further the light on the discussions that lie ahead but also on the form that the domestic political debate will take.
IMF Spring Meetings seen as next waypoint in completion of review
The International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings due later this month are emerging as the next key juncture in the road towards the conclusion of the second programme review.
Poll spells worse trouble for PM than concerns of party turmoil
After the decision by some members of SYRIZA’s central committee to voice their objections on Sunday to the deal with the Greece’s lenders, focus is turning to the party’s parliamentary group and whether Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should expect any nasty surprises.
Tsipras clears with relative ease first domestic hurdle to getting deal approved
SYRIZA’s central committee voted in favour of the agreement reached between the government and its lenders, helping Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras clear one of the domestic hurdles he faced following Friday’s settlement in Malta.