Political folly
Any attempt to extract partisan gain by manipulating a major political institution like the President of the Republic is unacceptable.
SYRIZA’s plan to stop Parliament from electing a successor to President Karolos Papoulias could condemn Greece to paralysis and instability until March 2015.
For this reason, the vote should be brought forward (as early as the Constitution allows for) – if possible before the end of the year. The country needs to steer past this key political event so that the government and the Parliament both know how much time they have in their hands.
Sure, it would be great to see Greece’s political parties agree on a common candidate. This would symbolize the beginning of a new political era and spare the institution from becoming the subject of a political poker game.
This, however, seems to be beyond the capacity of the existing political staff. That degree of consensus requires a maturity and responsibility that is simply not there.
