Editorial: Preconditions

It was just 15 days ago that the prime minister told parliamentary reporters in a gaggle that his junior coalition partner, Panos Kammenos and his Independent Greek Party, will not pull out of the government. “Where would he go, guys?” was Mr. Tsipras’ rhetorical question for the press.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos’ statements yesterday, however, prove that the PM’s declaration was made for the sake of keeping up appearances.

One cannot know where the government’s junior coalition partner will go, but in any event he will leave the government and the PM is preparing to lead a minority government, the spokesman indicated.

Although minority governments are not unheard of in Europe, the particular circumstances in our country – from its political culture to successive governments’ stranglehold on the state – make such an endeavour exceptionally difficult.

Minority governments can function effectively in countries in which there is a climate of consensus and in which political culture is not betrayed by divisive rhetoric, an area in which the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government has distinguished itself.

They can also be functional in countries where public administration functions independently and unhindered by the government and in which the economy is not unsettled by electoral cycles.Unfortunately, our country does not meet those preconditions. Moreover, the confluence of events is unfavourable.

Consequently, the government must examine all the parameters before it sacrifices everything in order to remain in power as a minority government.

After all, a government will always be judged by the manner in which it leaves power.