The conservative prime minister has repeatedly dismissed speculation about the possibility of a snap poll, stressing that elections will be held as scheduled. Costas Karamanlis wants to exhaust New Democracy’s four-year term and, if there is a real need for early elections, he alone will decide. It is exclusively his privilege and responsibility.

Or so the naive and gullible voters might believe. Because the premier’s ministers appear to think differently. They don’t acknowledge the premier’s rights and responsibilities, nor are they convinced by his reassurances. Instead, they each express their own view about when elections should be held.

But this incessant election talk is taking a toll on the credibility of the government and the premier himself. For it gives the impression that the government is under pressure. But this is Karamanlis’s business. After all, the ministers have a great deal of work waiting for them back at the office.