by Calculated Risk on 11/02/2011 07:25:00 PM
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Greek Referendum will be on staying in the Euro
From the Financial Times Eurozone crisis: live blog
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Greek referendum would determine whether Greece was to stay in the euro. ...From Reuters: EU, IMF Aid to Greece on Hold Until After Referendum
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said: “The Greek people want us to remain in the eurozone. We are part of the eurozone and we are proud to be part of the eurozone. Being part of the eurozone means having many rights and also obligations. We can live up to these obligations. I do believe there is a wide consensus among the Greek people and that’s why I want the Greek people to speak”
"As soon as the referendum is completed, and all uncertainty removed, I will make a recommendation to the IMF executive board regarding the sixth tranche of our loan to support Greece's economic program," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement.The confidence vote will be this Friday, and the referendum will probably be in early December - since Greece will not receive any more aid until after the referendum. Greece has a large bond payment due on December 11th, so the referendum will probably be before that date - or maybe Papandreou will lose the confidence vote this week.