Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-10-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM: 'We must not let country's course be undermined'

[01] PM: 'We must not let country's course be undermined'

Asked about the possibility of early elections, Papandreou said: "I have no intention of going to early elections" but pionted out that if the result of the local elections is added on to certain other parametres and the sum leads to a deadlock then, since there are no deadlocks in democracy, the sovereign people must speak.

The prime minister noted that a package amounting to 110 billion euros was secured, the biggest to be secured historically and added that "today, after these sacrifices we can hope and the first light has appeared at the end of the tunnel."

He further said that "if we delay or stop the course towards the big changes, all these sacrifices will be lost and what is most probable is that we will return to the past and to an even worse fate. We have escaped from the storm, but it cannnot be ruled out that we shall return to it."

Papandreou underlined that he was not interested in the political cost and that his personal wager is to clash, with the aim of change, with those forces that are keeping the country behind.

Referring in particular to the challenge in the local government elections, Papandreou said that there are two very important issues: "the first is that never in the past have the citizens being called on to elect local rulers with such power and for this reason we want capable and wise candidates to emerge."

"The second is that the country is in a state of emergency and for this reason responsibility and seriousness is required."

The first target, he said, is the salvation and reshaping of the country and this message must reach those who are undermining the country's course and to make it clear that the course for salvation cannot be checked.

Papandreou ruled out the possibility of new economic, that will deal a blow at salaries and pensions and stressed that whatever new measures will concern the curbing of extravagance and cracking down on tax evasion.

He added that 2010 was the year of averting bankruptcy and 2011 will be the year of the completion of the big structural changes. As regards the next two years, 2012 will be the year in which growth will acquire a positive index and 2013 the year of exiting from the memorandum.

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