Mohamed A. El-Erian, (2015), “Greece’s Turn to Resist a Referendum”, BloombergView, 18 May.
In 2011, overwhelming opposition from Greece’s European partners forced Prime Minister George Papandreou to withdraw a proposal for a referendum seeking a “clear mandate” from voters to carry out European Union-backed policies. Last week, the opposite scenario unfolded: Germany suggested that the Greek government hold a plebiscite on whether to accept creditors’ demands for economic reforms or ultimately leave the euro zone. This time, however, it was Greece that demurred.
Relevant posts
- Offe, C. (2015) “European Democracy Is In A State Of Emergency”, Social Europe Journal, 06 March.
- Tierney, S. (2014) “Europe is entering the ‘age of the referendum’, but there is nothing to fear for European democracy if referendums are properly regulated”, LSE EUROPP, 02 September.