Greek Politics
![Photo by Myrto Papadopoulos [www.myrtopapadopoulos.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/12/samaras_myrrto_1000_1210-medium.jpg "Photo by Myrto Papadopoulos [www.myrtopapadopoulos.com]")
Samaras ratchets up tension in clash with SYRIZA over violence
Tension has seeped through Greek politics in the wake of the Golden Dawn arrests but Prime Minister Antonis Samaras appears to have decided to play on this polarisation. On Friday, he launched a new attack on unidentified opposition parties, which he accused of not providing a blanket condemnation of violence.
For Stournaras, it's out of the frying pan and into the heating oil
One of the more contentious fiscal measures of the last three years was the decision to raise the consumption tax on heating oil last year to equal the levy on vehicle fuel. There is now a struggle within the Samaras administration over whether to roll back the tax.
Ex-minister's jailing a boost for faltering sense of justice
Former Defence Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos was jailed for 20 years on Monday after being found guilty of money laundering. Although the ex-PASOK veteran will serve only a fraction of this sentence, his conviction is notable moment in Greek politics as it is the first time a frontline political figure has been found guilty of corruption since the early 1990s.
Polls give New Democracy wafer-thin lead over SYRIZA
Two new opinion polls were made public late on Monday night. Both put New Democracy narrowly ahead of SYRIZA and had Golden Dawn as Greece’s third biggest party, reaffirming the figures that have been seen in the past few days from other surveys.
Golden Dawn support down to 2012 levels but with potential to rise again, poll shows
Support for Golden Dawn has fallen to pre-election levels according a new poll, which also suggests that about a fifth of Greeks do not have a dim view of the neofascist party despite the recent arrest of its leadership.
Parties on edge as Golden Dawn case has potential to go either way
On a trip to the USA this week, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said his government was in the process of “completely eradicating” Golden Dawn. Events in Athens over the past few days suggest that this will not happen quickly, if it happens at all.
Is New Democracy really trying to ease political tension?
Addressing the nation in the wake of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas's murder by a Golden Dawn member in September, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras issued a message to citizens and political opponents: “This is not the time for internal disputes or tension,” he said. However, there are growing doubts about whether his own party, New Democracy, is heeding this advice.
Samaras and Venizelos rule out elections but can't be sure they won't happen
Greece’s coalitions has decided against calling snap elections in the wake of Golden Dawn arrests over the weekend but it remains to be see whether it will be possible to avoid going to the polls altogether.
What next for Greek politics after Golden Dawn arrests?
The arrest of Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos, a handful of his MPs and several party members on Saturday was a surprise on many levels and has left a number of key political issues open.
If Golden Dawn MPs quit Parliament, would Greece go to elections? It's complicated
The government’s clampdown on Golden Dawn after the murder of rapper Pavlos Fyssas by one of its supporters has prompted speculation that the neofascist party might try to get even with the mainstream parties. It has been suggested that this could lead the party’s 18 MPs to resign en masse, creating confusion in Parliament and possibly trigger national elections.