REPORTERNET.COM

Many believe that a victory by Socialist leader Francois Hollande in the second round of the French Presidential elections will change the balance of power in the eurozone, as he in favor of reforming the Stability Pact.

 Anyone following the opinion polls, the media, the blogspots, the moves and statements of politicians and labor activists must really be scared nowadays.

As we head to a fresh poll, the partial meltdown of an incompetent State machinery, citizens’ heightened anger and the widespread populism which acquires fascist hues are the seeds that can lead to a proliferation of public violence.  

The austerity recipe adopted and imposed throughout the eurozone by the German government is now coming under wide criticism. Popular discontent, particularly in the countries of the European South, is beginning to take the form of a social explosion as peoples are being called upon to downgrade their living standards and live in a state of insecurity. The welfare state that used to be the hallmark of European societies is wearing out fast, giving the opportunity to various political magicians to try and benefit with an extreme populist rhetoric.

Elections will take place either on April 29 or May 6. The two major parties are trying to make the first date, and it depends on whether Parliament will complete the work on two remaining bills, one on the opening up of closed-shop professions and the other on development.

All indications point to April 29 as the date of the general election. It is not the best option for the country at the moment, but it will serve to gauge the will of the people and establish whether the opinion polls are right in showing a swelling of the popularity of those forces opposed to the country’s agreement for the second bailout loan and stringent economic program.

As to whether it is perceived or not, certain individuals, in cooperation with the media, are attempting to destroy Papademos as ‘evil’, ‘merciless’ or even as a ‘failure’.

After a respite of relative calm, which many associate with Papademos’ premiership and as a result, the Greek public’s raised expectations, unfortunately jeering and violence have emerged once again.

If the statements hold any political value – and are in fact reliable, yesterday, Merkel, Sarkozy and Schauble (in the background) made two points clear: They want Greece to remain in the eurozone.