Goal is to ensure stability
Let us assume that Parliament ratifies the fiscal and structural measures and that the government goes ahead with implementing them in full, opening up closed-shop professions rather than protecting powerful unions and lobbies. Should these assumptions come true, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his party?s coalition partner PASOK will suffer great losses.
The biggest blow, however, would be if the troika imposes new terms or delays the disbursement of the next aid tranche. Sure, Greece has shown a reluctance to impose reforms that are taken for granted elsewhere in Europe. Sure, there is corruption and inefficiency in key sectors of the state. But Greece cannot right the wrongs of decades in just a few months.
If the troika does not approve the disbursement of the 31.5-billion-euro tranche immediately and show some generosity in regard to Greece?s debt, it will destroy the country?s pro-European forces.
