Main goals, one by one
Lucas Papademos’s biggest enemy right now is great expectations. He has undertaken an unpleasant and daunting task at a time when the domestic political system had destroyed every credible solution and pushed the country to the brink of default. What needs to be done in the coming weeks will be neither easy nor pleasant.
Any sober-minded Greek would prefer a genuine national unity government with more nonpolitical figures. Unfortunately there is no time to change the political system while the country is at risk of being kicked out of the eurozone. Partisan mechanisms and vested interests are still alive. Greek society has won one battle, but there are enough partisan officials out there to undermine anything fresh and healthy.
What is important now is that Papademos and his team manage to keep the country inside the euro area. If they succeed, the people will certainly demand the immediate and radical restructuring of the political system.