WSJ Foresees Elections and Third Memorandum for Greece

If Greece wants to avoid bankruptcy, an agreement must be reached in the next few days, writers in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) estimated, noting that the Greek government and institutions may have to wait until winter to “seal” a third bailout package.

According to the American newspaper, the decision of Greece to bundle all four June installments to the IMF into one last week means that the first major payment has been postponed until June 30. For this reason, an agreement between Athens and creditors regarding budget cuts is anticipated until the June 18 Eurogroup.

The Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting will be of great importance because there they will approve a new financial deal, a new payment schedule and new Greek objectives, expanding this way the current program beyond June, at least until September and possibly until December.

WSJ writers made their own guess for the future, saying that there is a possibility that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will lose the support of his partners in the ruling coalition after presenting the new measures in the Greek Parliament, something that it could lead him to rely on the votes of the members of his main opposition party.

This would oblige Greece’s PM to either form a new coalition government or call for snap elections, possibly in July 5. The writers of the article estimated that Tsipras will win these elections, forming a coalition with less radical partners who will be willing to support efforts to keep Greece in the Eurozone. In such a case, Greece and its international creditors would be able to take the next step: the agreement regarding a third bailout package.

Source: greekreporter.com