UPDATE: Apparently the opposition's demands were too much for Mr Papandreou who withdrew his offer to resign and will proceed with a wide-ranging Government reshuffle.
Awaiting developments but it would appear that the Greek government and Mr Papandreou are fatally wounded.
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The Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou just announced that he is prepared to form a National Unity Government in cooperation with the main center-right opposition party New Democracy. (Interesting note: Both Papandreou and Antonis Samaras, ND's leader, are alumni of Amherst College).
The move follows weeks of mass peaceful demonstrations all over Greece but particularly in Syntagma Square in central Athens. The Indignants movement sprang up following the Spanish mass protests of the same name when a poster was seen saying "Shh... Don't wake up the Greeks".
The Indignants come from all walks of life and been extremely peaceful and well-organized in distinct contrast to the usual demonstrations in Athens which often turn violent.
Today was also a general strike day, which did produce quite a lot of violence, when hooded 'anarchists' sparked clashes with the riot police and the peaceful protesters.
The strikers and the protesters are reacting against extremely onerous austerity measures being imposed on the country by the EU and the IMF, which are broadly seen as counter-productive and impoverishing.
Here are a bunch of links to the on-going situation and I will update as events unfold:
English Language Links:
Kathimerini English Edition
Athens News
BBC
AJE
KeeptalkingGreece Hat tip to CosmicDebris.
Greek Language Links:
In
Newsbeast
Skai
11:01 AM PT: From the KeepTalkingGreece live blog:
19:54
The new Greek government will have the task to renegotiate the Memorandum of Understanding & the Mid-Term Stability Programme, and to launch structural reforms in the country. it will have a limited period of life… Prime Minister will be neither Papandreou nor Samaras but a personality of common acceptance.
19: 56 Waiting for PM’s statement … “at any minute”, say Greek media at prime time news
20:08
After all these leackages to the press, the government has practically ‘resigned’ already…
Two Options: either Early Elections or Bipartisan Government – possible also a coalition government.
20:24
Neither the gov ministers nor the PASOK-MPs knew about Papandreou’s decision to accept resignation. While the PM was talking to ND-leader Samaras, Greek Fin Min was explaining some minor modifications of the ‘solidarity tax’ to members of Economy Committee at the Parliament