Group of PASOK MPs press PM on measures
Sixteen PASOK MPs have sent a letter to Prime Minister George Papandreou demanding that he ensure that the new set of austerity measures Greece is about to agree with the troika be debated properly by the party and Parliament.
Papandreou looks set to reveal the measures on Friday, when he will meet with Jean Claude-Juncker, the head of the Eurogroup but the Socialist deputies expressed concern about the mid-term fiscal package and the government?s privatization plan not being subject to the usual democratic process.
?A year after signing the memorandum, we are at a crucial juncture again. Why?? the MPs asked in their letter. ?It is not just an issue of political responsibility; logic demands that we have an evaluation. It is a question of patriotism, democracy and responsibility.
?It is the most basic proof that we respect the votes of our citizens.?
The deputies are concerned that the mid-term fiscal plan and the privatization bill will be rushed through Parliament without being debated fully.
Sources said this week that the government is likely to present its fiscal plan as one article in order to prevent Parliament voting on it article by article, which would give PASOK MPs and other lawmakers the chance to vote against specific aspects of the draft law.
