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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-09-13
CONTENTS
[01] Voters will not allow return of 'bankrupt' political system of the
past, Tsipras says
[02] Weekend opinion polls show narrow SYRIZA lead but no majority
[03] Tables turned as Iranian migrants assist in rescue of injured fire
men on Lesvos
[01] Voters will not allow return of 'bankrupt' political system of the
past, Tsipras says
ANA-MPA -- SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras repeated his conviction that
voters will not reinstate the "bankrupt" political system of the past
and that SYRIZA will win the upcoming elections, in an interview with
"Ethnos" on Sunday.
"Already, all the polls show that our support is rallying significantly,"
he noted, stressing that voters did not want the return of those
that wanted to cover up past sins, give back all that was won in the
negotiations and hide the lists of tax evaders back in their drawers.
He said SYRIZA, during its seven months in government, had shown
willingness, determination and a political plan to defend the interests
of the majority by "ending the sickness of intertwined interests and
cronyism." On the decision to call elections, Tsipras said this was
unavoidable because his government had been overturned from within,
by Leftist MPs. Asked about the possibility of collaborating with New
Democracy in a coalition government, he said that the two parties would be
unable to agree on policy and represented very different social interests.
"ND is with Mr. Schaeuble's Europe. We are with the forces that wish for
a social shift and a decoupling from neoliberal beliefs," Tsipras said.
Addressing a rally in the coastal city of Kalamata on Saturday, Tsipras
appeared equally confident that his party will emerge victorious on
September 20 and promised to form a "government ...to unite our people in
a major patriotic and democratic invitation, under the flag of equality
and social justice." He noted that a big SYRIZA victory would signal
a major change in Europe, given the upcoming elections in Spain and
Catalonia and a shift in balances within Europe. "Despite the efforts
of the regime of oligarchy and corruption to resurrect the bankrupt
political system, we stand fast and carry the flag of the struggle with
pride," he said, stressing that SYRIZA was fighting those that wished
to turn the country's first Left government into a brief interlude.
"Next Sunday the people will deliver the final blow to the bankrupt
political system of indecency, submission and inequality," he said.
Accompanying Tsipras in Kalamata was German MEP and Vice-President of
the European Parliament Greens Ska Keller, who introduced him saying:
"We believe that only together can we achieve a better future. Without
environmental justice, there can never be social justice."
[02] Weekend opinion polls show narrow SYRIZA lead but no majority
ANA-MPA -- A volatile political landscape in which SYRIZA has a marginal
lead was revealed by opinion polls published over Saturday and Sunday,
which converged in showing that an absolute Parliamentary majority for
any single party in next week's is extremely unlikely.
Based on a Kapa Research poll in Sunday's 'Vima', SYRIZA is ahead by just
0.5 pct with 26.7 pct of voter preference, followed by New Democracy
with 26.2 pct. Golden Dawn ranks third with 7 pct, PASOK-DIMAR follow
with 6.1 pct, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 5.9 pct, Potami
with 5 pct, Popular Unity with 4.2 pct, Centrists Union with 3.6 pct
and Independent Greeks with 3.1 pct. The unspecified vote stands at
10.2 pct. An Alco poll in 'Proto Thema' gives SYRIZA a 0.7-point lead
but smaller vote share at 25.4 pct, followed by New Democracy with 24.7
pct. Golden Dawn ranks third with 6.4 pct, KKE follows with 6.2 pct,
PASOK-DIMAR with 5.1 pct, Potami with 4 pct, Centrists Union with 3.9 pct,
Popular Unity with 3.4 pct and lastly Independent Greeks with 2.6 pct,
leaving them outside Parliament. The unspecified vote stands at 10.4 pct.
An MRB poll in 'Real News' puts SYRIZA ahead with a 0.4 -point lead at
25.9 pct, followed by New Democracy with 25.5 pct. Golden Dawn ranks
third with 6.1 pct, KKE follows with 5.7 pct, PASOK-DIMAR with 5.3 pct,
Potami with 4.9 pct, Centrists Union with 3.9 pct, Popular Unity with
3.2 pct and lastly Independent Greeks with 2.6 pct, leaving them outside
Parliament. The unspecified vote stands at 14.1 pct of the sample.
A poll by Public Issue in the Sunday issue 'Avgi' ties SYRIZA and New
Democracy with 31 pct each. PASOK-DIMAR move up to third place with
8 pct, followed by Golden Dawn with 7 pct, KKE follows with 6.5 pct,
Potami with 4.5 pct, Popular Unity with 4 pct, Centrists Union with
3 pct, and lastly Independent Greeks with 2 pct, leaving them outside
Parliament. RASS's opinion poll in PARON shows SYRIZA squeezing ahead
of ND with 27.4 pct against ND's 27.1 pct, followed by Golden Dawn with
6.4 pct, KKE with 5.5 pct, PASOK-DIMAR with 4.8 pct, Potami with 3.8 pct,
Centrists Union with 3.3 pct, Popular Unity with 3 pct and Independent
Greeks with 2.3 pct. The unspecified vote is 13.1 pct. Polls published
on Saturday also showed SYRIZA ahead by a very slight margin, ranging
from 0.2-1 percentage points ahead of New Democracy, with both parties
seen getting between a quarter and third of the vote.
[03] Tables turned as Iranian migrants assist in rescue of injured fire
men on Lesvos
ANA-MPA -- In a poignant twist of fate, two Greek firemen needing
rescue on the island of Lesvos found help from four Iranians that had
just alighted on the island as migrants from the Turkish shore.
The four men were walking the long trek from Sykamnia where they had
come ashore to the port town of Mytilene and became eye-witnesses of an
accident involving a fire engine that came off the road and fell down a
steep ravine, with two fire men trapped inside. The four immediately
descended the five-metre slope to their aid and tried to extricate
the injured men trapped in the vehicle. They also stayed on hand and
assisted in the operation to extricate the firemen and deliver them to
an emergency services (EKAB) ambulance.
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