It feels distinctly like a watershed moment for #Greece.
What started as the whiff of a scandal has now escalated into a full-blown political crisis at the most inopportun moment, after a string of PR disasters involving PM himself & whilst the lockdown-fatigued public
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What started as the whiff of a scandal has now escalated into a full-blown political crisis at the most inopportun moment, after a string of PR disasters involving PM himself & whilst the lockdown-fatigued public
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mood is neither generous nor charitable.
Celebrated theatre personality N. Lignadis, the (now ex) director of the National Theatre, a direct appointment to the position and an integral part of the Athenian elite is first publicly accused of, and later arrested and charged
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Celebrated theatre personality N. Lignadis, the (now ex) director of the National Theatre, a direct appointment to the position and an integral part of the Athenian elite is first publicly accused of, and later arrested and charged
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with multiple counts of rape inv. minors.
Minister Lina Mendoni who appointed him to the post after cancelling the hiring process that had already been set in motion by her predecessor, is accused of dragging her feet in the matter. She calls a disastrous press conference
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Minister Lina Mendoni who appointed him to the post after cancelling the hiring process that had already been set in motion by her predecessor, is accused of dragging her feet in the matter. She calls a disastrous press conference
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during which prompts are clearly audible, says that she has been deceived by a “dangerous man” but is fully cooperating w/ authorities, and refuses any political responsibility in the matter.
The rumour mill has gone into overdrive & people wonder how the minister, a woman
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The rumour mill has gone into overdrive & people wonder how the minister, a woman
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who served as the gen sec of the ministry for a decade before taking its helm can be deceived by someone equally well known in the world of the arts, w/ rumoured affiliations to ruling circles. Public anger mounts and her position seems untenable.
Yet she refuses to resign.
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Yet she refuses to resign.
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PM @kmitsotakis is facing his own woes: after first provoking public sentiment with disastrous “carefree” countryside and island outings in the middle of a strict lockdown, he then suffered *severe* criticism for the govt’s shambolic response to the recent weather front that
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left much of the country, incl Athens, covered by snow. Power cuts left thousands stranded, snowed-in & unable to heat themselves or even cook, for days.
The backlash has been furious and was unequivocally reflected in a poll that must surely have set off alarm bells in govt.
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The backlash has been furious and was unequivocally reflected in a poll that must surely have set off alarm bells in govt.
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As things stand, the PM seems unwilling or unable to step in and demand his minister’s resignation.
The Lignadis arrest has done little to appease either the public mood that, in this case, has been badly misjudged by the govt and seems united in condemnation and anger
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The Lignadis arrest has done little to appease either the public mood that, in this case, has been badly misjudged by the govt and seems united in condemnation and anger
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or the rumours that continue unabated and implicate ever wider circles and power networks.
With the economy’s future compromised, financial uncertainty for millions, continuing lockdowns, fatigue and frustration settling in, this might just be a turning point for #Greece.
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With the economy’s future compromised, financial uncertainty for millions, continuing lockdowns, fatigue and frustration settling in, this might just be a turning point for #Greece.
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