Greek female judge appointed caretaker PM until elections

A month before the elections, Greece has appointed its top Supreme Court Judge Vassiliki Thanou as the caretaker prime minister. She also happens to be the first woman prime minister in the history of Greek democracy. The interim government of Ms Thanou is expected to be in charge at least until September 20 when the parliamentary elections will be held.

The main duties of the caretaker government would be to hold free and fair elections. “Given the circumstances, however, I believe this government will be called upon to tackle critical issues such as, for example, the immigration issue, and, maybe, some others,” said Ms Thanou. Her appointment was delayed by a week as the opposition parties tried to prevent elections from taking place and wanted to form a government.

The new caretaker prime minister is also said to be an opponent of austerity. The conservatives believed that everything had to be done to prevent Greece from having elections and implement the austerity measures of the 86 billion euro bailout package. The Conservatives argued the country also had to deal with the unprecedented inflow of immigrants.

Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party is expected to emerge as the single largest party, but according to latest polls it would not get a majority and need to form a coalition government. If a government is not formed after the elections, the country would again have to go for another round of polls. Opponents have contended that Mr Tsipras is blackmailing the electorate by tossing them the dilemma of either choosing him or facing a political deadlock after he said there were significant differences with other parties and he would not form a coalition with them. Mr Tsipras provoked the citizens saying whatever you vote, I will not cooperate.

In the backdrop of the ongoing crisis, Greece cannot afford to have another round of elections, if the September elections don’t lead to formation of a government. To end the deadlock in Greece and carry out the measures to restore Greece, a stable government at the helm is absolutely critical.

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