Grexit referendum: how Greek papers want their readers to vote
Greece's notoriously partisan press is divided over whether Greeks should vote Yes or No in Sunday's referendum
While the world waits to see what will happen after Greece went into arrears on its IMF loans, the country's main newspapers are awash with headlines predicting an imminent doomsday.
Most mainstream media outlets in Greece have close ties to political parties or business magnates, so their coverage is often viewed with a healthy degree of scepticism. And as the country edges ever closer to its referendum on whether to accept the latest EU bailout proposals, newspapers aligned with the Syriza government have unsurprisingly come out supporting the No campaign, while those affiliated with the opposition are campaigning for a Yes vote, or calling for the whole referendum process to be scrapped.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The argument for Yes
On the morning of 1 July, the Ta Nea newspaper warned of "fears of deposit haircuts" and To Ethnos declared Greece to be "a country under siege" after its IMF default. To Vima urged Tsipras to scrap the referendum if he and his government wished to retain "the little dignity they have left".
Kathimerini on the other hand, sees the referendum as Tsipras's "escape plan" after he has become stuck in a political and economic impasse, commenting that "his escape via a referendum has proved detrimental for the country. Internal governmental inefficiencies should not lead Greek people to a great disaster."
No more compromises
The Syriza-affiliated Avgi newspaper supported Tsipras's argument, calling a No vote "the catalyst for a new deal". The paper's main editorial appealed to all voters who felt disenfranchised by the previous governments, suggesting "the referendum is the way through which the people take an active role in the negotiations, regardless of whether they choose Yes or No." It even praised the referendum as a negotiating tool: "the debt is officially on the table and its restructuring is what will get Greece out of the tunnel of the memorandums."
Independent newspaper Efsyn published a poll conducted by the ProRata institute giving a lead to the pro-No vote and warned that "terrified people can become unpredictable" in an editorial championing a "No without delusions"
The Communist party's Rizospastis newspaper took things one step further by calling for "people to turn their back to the blackmail and the terrorising dilemmas posed by the referendum". The paper urged people to vote No both to the proposal from the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF, and also to the Syriza plan.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Horror stories of women having to carry nonviable fetuses'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Haiti interim council, prime minister sworn in
Speed Read Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns amid surging gang violence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 26, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - teleprompter troubles, presidential immunity, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Haiti interim council, prime minister sworn in
Speed Read Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns amid surging gang violence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How green onions could swing South Korea's election
The Explainer Country's president has fallen foul of the oldest trick in the campaign book, not knowing the price of groceries
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published