Despite having won a re-election campaign just six months ago the conservative government of Greece is facing a political perfect storm. With the streets of major cities filling up with uncollected rubbish and the country facing rolling blackouts, both caused by striking public sector workers, the New Democracy government of Kostas Karamanlis is beset with a series of scandals and political battles both at home and abroad.
The ongoing sex and blackmail scandal which saw the minister for culture, Christos Zaxopulos attempt to take his own life last month has continued to shock and titilate the Greek public. In addition revelations over alleged corruption and bribery by the German Siemens corporation in order to win security contracts for the 2004 Olympic games in Athens have severely dented the ruling party's standing in the polls.
The next two weeks will prove crucial to the gvernement as it has promised to push through controversial pension reforms that have stirred up a wave of strikes and protests by groups as diverse as lawyers and rubbish collectors. With a slim parliamentary majority of just two seats, Prime minister Kostas Karamanlis is faced with a plethora of problems not least of which is the thorny issue of the naming of Greece's northern neighbour. Greek foreign minister, Dora Bakoyianni has vowed that Greece will not allow the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia apply for either NATO or European Union membership with the name Macedonia.
Tags: Europe | Greece | Macedonia | Kostas Karamanlis | pension reforms | Politics | STRIKES | World
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