Three days before the referendum on 5 July, in which the government will call the Greeks to vote for or against the agreement with creditors, Greece’s President Prokopis Pavlopoulos has expressed his strong support for the positive vote.
During his meeting with president of the National Bank of Greece and the Hellenic Bank Association Louka Katseli, he stressed that remaining in the European Union and the euro zone is the only option for Greece, both for economic and national security reasons.
Pavlopoulos said that "the path to the referendum should not disturb the unity of the Greek people that is much needed at this time," adding, "The referendum as an institution of direct democracy serves democracy only when it takes place under conditions that do not allow division of the nation."
Meanwhile, four members of SYRIZA’s coalition partner, Independent Greeks, have publicly announced that they will support the positive vote in the referendum. All four indicate that the reason for their decision is the fact that the mandate received by the government does not include measures such as the closure of banks and cuts in deposits, which is why they will vote "yes" in the referendum. One of the four is MP Dimitris Kamenos from Piraeus who last week used a photo of the entrance to the concentration camp Auschwitz to undermine the initiative "We Stay in Europe." Now he supports the cancellation of the referendum.
Former Prime Minister Costas Simitis of PASOK has announced his support for the positive vote as well whereas former Prime Minister of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis will address the nation on TV in a few minutes and urge the Greek people to stand firmly behind the positive vote.
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