OPINION

Wanted: A man with a plan

Greece’s voters will elect a new government on October 4. Until then, they expect conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to explain why he fell short of making the much-needed reforms while he still enjoyed a strong mandate in the wake of the 2004 elections and following his renewal of the public mandate in 2007. They would also like to know if he is currently working on any measures, who will be called upon to implement them and what he intends to do if he is faced with strong public opposition. As for socialist leader George Papandreou, voters expect him to explain exactly what measures he plans to take, should he be elected prime minister, to announce the team that will put these into force and how he plans to deal with his party’s reactionary old guard. The hard truth is that 2009 is very different from 2004 because the country is in crisis. Voters are looking for a leader with courage and a specific plan. They have every right to be anxious and skeptical from Day 1 of this election campaign.

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