Consensus after polls a must
There are several crucial areas of policy on which the two biggest contenders for the elections on October 4 agree. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou agree that immediate changes are needed in areas such as the country’s electoral law, so that it is more in line with the German electoral process; the law concerning asylum from prosecution on university grounds, which is often abused by troublemakers who take refuge from police on university premises; the system by which the performance of public servants is assessed and judged; and cracking down on tax evasion etc, etc. This consensus, something they have both expressed so far in their rhetoric, needs to be translated into action on the very first day after the elections, regardless of which party ends up winning the race. Greece is running out of time when it comes to crucial social and economic reforms, and the only way to achieve any substantial change is through consensus that transcends party lines.
