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Communist leader wants Greece out of euro and EU

Greece needs to leave not just the eurozone but the European Union as well, the head of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) said on Monday.

Speaking on Skai Television’s New Files program on Monday night, Aleka Papariga said that «developments in Greece will change the dynamic of our ties abroad,» adding that the debt-wracked country would be better off outside the EU.

“We are not just focusing on the currency. Our view is complete disengagement from the European Union,» Papariga said in response to a question about whether KKE favors a eurozone exit, adding that social revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa could bolster a left-wing regime in Greece in the event that it was isolated from Europe.

Papariga rejected the possibility of a coalition of left-wing parties in the upcoming elections saying that they do not share the same positions, but added that «what may come out of the electoral process, realistically, is a government that does not have enough power and authority to do as it likes, a government that knows its legs are shaky.”

“Our position is that after the elections we are in for very tough measures. Therefore, the people, the organized masses not groups just hurling insults at Parliament on Friday nights, must organize their counter-offensive and block the measures as well as they can,» Papariga said.

The secretary general of KKE sees the crisis dragging on for «several years,» further harming small and medium-sized businesses.

“When Greece comes out of the crisis, which will last for several years, growth will not come at the pace that we had become accustomed to in the past. Very strong business leaders will emerge and the others will have closed down their businesses or gone bust. That is how the crisis works,» Papariga said.

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