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Anastasia Balezdrova

The two parties whose leaderships have led Greece to today's serious condition continue to receive bank loans, although they are unable to repay them, as stated by leader of the liberal Gefires coalition during a press conference on the upcoming European elections.

According to chairman of Drassi party Theodoros Skylakakis, the bank obligations of PASOK and New Democracy in 2010 amounted to 300 million euro. "This year, the total funding for political parties in Greece amounts to 7 million euro, meaning that PASOK and New Democracy could not obtain more than 3 million euro. This amount cannot cover even the interest rates on the loans, which amount to about 20 million euro per year," he said.

Skylakakis revealed something that, at least so far, has not yet initiated criminal investigation although it is particularly outrageous. "The financial statements of New Democracy show that it received a loan of 14.6 million euro in 2013, but it is not clear which bank lent the money. At the same time, the Bank of Greece refuses to provide information about this." According to Drassi's leader, the argument of the institution is that the provision of information about separate loans does not fall within its competence. "It is worth noting that a year ago the reports of the institution contained the data about which we want to be informed."

Theodoros Skylakakis said that PASOK and New Democracy do not intend to repay any portion of the 300 million euro due. "They plan to finally get rid of their debts by changing the names of the parties into Elia (PASOK) and New Greece (New Democracy) as well as their tax numbers. Then the bill will again have to be paid by taxpayers."

To visualize their words, the members of Gefires coalition showed how the 14.6 million euro obtained by the two parties last year look. The pile of 2,900 wads of counterfeit money at a different value was really impressive.

Leader of ReCreate Greece party Thanos Tzimeros said that Gefires coalition is for a "revolution" in the Greek institutions in order to reject today's government policies that violently defend clientelism. "In Greece the state has gone bankrupt. Nevertheless, instead of reducing its spending, it prefers to impose more taxes on citizens and when they cannot pay them, it sends them to prison. At the same time, people who owe millions are walking freely, totally sure that no one will bother them." He stressed that changes take time, which is why people should vote for reformist parties with a European focus.

Tzimeros said that Gefires would form a coalition with every political party that shares the basic principles of the coalition for a smaller and efficient state, less taxes, equality of all citizens, European standards in the management of state issues and federal Europe. According to him, members of parties that are part of the constitutional arc also share these views and therefore they should come forward and work to change the status quo. "A change in party geography is necessary," he said and defined the radical left SYRIZA as the party that expresses the most vicious practices, and populism in the first place, that have brought Greece to its present state.

Gefires leaders said that their goal is to nominate two MEPs, who will join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and urged the Greeks, through their vote, to force the government to initiate changes in the political system.