BREAKING NEWS! Greece in Uproar After Cannes-Humiliation: Live Blogging

From Will at The Other News:
(KeeptalkingGreece).Greece is in uproar after French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel imposed the date and the referendum question and froze the 6th aid tranche of 8 billion euro until Greeks say YES to referendum.

It was short after midnight when Merkel and Sarkozy announced the referendum conditions putting a grave stone on Greece’s sovereignty, while PM George Papandreou was on stand by to make his own statements.Merkel and Sarkozy stated the referendum must be on December 4th and that the question should be “YES or NO to €uro” and not on the loan-agreement as it was proposed by Papandreou.As early as 4 in the morning the political developments started to take the country by storm.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said NO to referendum on “EURO YES or NO”upon his arrival in Athens form Cannes.Many wondered that Venizelos did take the same plane with the PM, while the majority wondered why Papandreou did not announced his resignation the moment he got out of the plane…One after the other, ruling party PASOK deputies and government ministers openly said NO to referendum; some declared that they will not give the government a confidence vote on Friday.Some PASOK MPs demand ‘national unity government’ right away and want Papandreou to resign as PM.At least 5 PASOK deputies deny vote of confidence, i.e. Papandreou government is officially dead and the PM has finished his political career.An extraordinary Cabinet meeting is scheduled for 12 o’clock noon.

Important Updates:

12.35.Sources from PM’s environment: Papandreou is not thinking of resignation; he will wait and hear what ministers say at the Cabinet meeting – “the Referendum belongs to the past”.

14:21 pm. Unconfirmed information on Greek news websites: Papandreou will submit to the President a request for a national unity government after the Cabitnet meeting, that hasn’t started yet, although it was scheduled for 12 noon.There are rumors that Loukas Papadimos will be lead the transition government as PM. However, Greece is always good for surprises…

14:26 pm. Cabinet meeting started with more than 2h delay - Papandreou will ask the ratification of the loan-agreement with broader majority, i.e. 180 votes out of 300 (state NET TV).

14:45. First leakage from the Cabinet meeting : Papandreou allagedly said “We needed to threat with a referendum so that Samaras will take his responsibilities“.What??? It was just a ‘threat’???

15:12.Papandreou allegedly proposed coalition government during the Cabinet meeting.When will he resign? I don’t think, it will happen as soon as possible… then there is a PASOK parliamentary group meeting in the afternoon and I’m sure he wants to go there as a PM and not a ‘George Papandreou, former PM’….

15:17. Unverified info: Papandreou allegedly said at the Cabinet meeting, that he will not resign but will ask the confidence vote tomorrow at the Parliament (ALTER TV).

15:19. Scenarios on the table of the Greek political Drama:

1. Coalition government PASOK – Nea Dimokratia – PM not elected person.
2. National Unity Government with participation of as many as possible political parties – PM not elected person.
3. PM resigns and a new government arise with intervention of President of the Republic. Or he intervenes without the PM’s resignation.“Interim” government is the same government as now until the country goes to elections. Interim government cannot ratify the ‘loan-agreement’.“Transition” government is a new government until the country goes to elections.

15:31. Papandreou allegedly said at the Cabinet meeting, he considers as ‘towards a positive direction the Samaras’ proposals” and that he authorized Minister Reppas and PASOK official Athanasakis to go and visit Samaras.

15:47.While government sources leak to the press that two PASOK officials are on the way to meet major opposition Nea Dimokratia party leader Antonis Samaras to negotiate ‘transition government’.ND spokesman Michelakis dismissed the ‘contact’ claims, saying there has been no contact.Not even a phone call to check whether Samaras is there….? We turned into a political and media circus today….

16:10.Papandreou told Cabinet meeting that “there will be no referendum!” No wonder, then after the Cannes humiliation and fiasco, hardly a PASOk deputy would approve a referendum. The referendum-bill would need 151 votes in a parliament voting session.

16:23.Nea Dimokratia and Samaras rejected coalition government talks with PASOK officials. ND say they accept talks only via the President of the Republic.Latest info says that the President is awaiting for the political parties to decide.

17:25.Cabinet meeting concluded – Parliamentary group meeting to start any minute.I’m afraid the PM will go so far as to the confidence vote tomorrow, Friday at midnight. The man has nerves made of steel….Read this continious evolving Greek tragedy here.