NEWS

Find 300 mln from MPs’ salaries, says Bakoyannis

The head of the centrist Democratic Alliance, Dora Bakoyannis accused the leaders of Greece’s tripartite coalition of ignoring the «fate of the next three generations of Greeks» and «having their eye on elections,» after Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s unity government unveiled on Thursday morning a package of tough austerity measures for the crisis-hit country.

Greece’s leaders on Thursday hammered out a deal to present to its creditors — the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — who have demanded that it come up with 635 million euros of savings from reductions in state-backed pensions. The austerity program negotiated between the leaders of the PASOK socialist party, conservative New Democracy and far-right LAOS on Wednesday and Thursday, however, came up 300 million euros short as the leaders failed to agree on cutbacks to pensions.

Bakoyannis echoed fears that the government’s failure to reach an agreement may result in more austerity measures being imposed by Greece’s creditors and may also put the next tranche of bailout funding in jeopardy.

“If they want to come up with 300 million euros, let them halve the salaries and pensions of the country’s lawmakers,» Bakoyannis said, adding: «It is very easy; it’s just a matter of making a decision, of no longer deceiving the people.”

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