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ELECTION

‘Stick to the plan’: Germany to Greece

UPDATE:German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects the new Greek government to uphold its commitments to international creditors, her spokesman said Monday after the electoral triumph of Greece's anti-austerity leftists Syriza.

'Stick to the plan': Germany to Greece
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras celebrates the party's election victory on Sunday. Photo: DPA

"In our view it is important for the new government to take action to foster Greece's continued economic recovery," government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.

"That also means Greece sticking to its previous commitments."
 
He said Germany, the paymaster for eurozone bailout packages, intended to offer "to work with" the new government, while listening closely to what it said about how it sees its "future reform course and the fulfilment of its commitments".
 
Earlier mainstream politicians had reacted sternly to Syriza's election victory in Greece, while the European Central Bank (ECB) said it would not take a 'haircut' on Greek debts it holds.

"The Greeks have to bear the consequences of their own actions and can't saddle the German taxpayer with them", Christian Democratic Union (CDU) deputy leader in the Bundestag (German parliament) Hans-Peter Friedrich told Bild's Monday edition.

With 36.4 percent of the vote, Syriza won't govern Greece alone, but will negotiate a coalition with a smaller right-wing party.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras promised his voters an end to years of deep cuts in public spending and hopes to write off some of Greece's debt, which currently stands at 175 percent of GDP.

Greece has been supported with loans from fellow EU member countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of around €240 billion.

But he promised other EU countries on election night that Greece was ready to talk about a "just and achievable solution" – starting at a meeting of EU Finance Ministers on Monday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel had begged Greek voters not to turn their back on its European partners, asking them to "remain part of our story" at a meeting with the Italian Prime Minister last week.

But the Chancellor will face difficulties given the hostility of Greeks to perceived German interference and the stern reactions of German politicians to the election result, especially those from the CDU who form the majority of the governing coalition.

"We cannot honour breach of contract" said Wolfgang Bosbach, head of the Bundestag's Interior Committee, adding that any leniency shown to Greece would send the wrong signal to other struggling countries.

Thomas Oppermann, leader of the Social-Democratic Party in the Bundestag, maintained that "Germany will continue to stand in solidarity with Greece".

But he called on the new government to continue reforming the country and fighting corruption and cronyism in government and the economy – key factors in meeting Greece's commitments to the so-called "Troika“ of the European Central Bank (ECB), European Commission and IMF.

Meanwhile, ECB board member Benoit Coeure told business newspaper Handelsblatt that Greece couldn't expect any leniency from the Frankfurt-based central bank.

"It is not up to the ECB to decide whether Greece needs debt relief," since that was a political decision, Coeure said.

"But it's absolutely clear that we cannot agree to a debt relief that includes Greek bonds that are located at the ECB," he said.

"That's impossible for legal reasons," he added.

During the debt crisis, the ECB bought up huge amounts of Greek debt and still has some of it on its books.

Cutting that debt would be tantamount to so-called monetary financing – printing money to get a government out of debt – which is strictly forbidden under the ECB's own statutes.

The only voices showing sympathy to Syriza in the German political spectrum came from the left-wing opposition, with both the Left (Linke) Party and the Greens expressing their support.

Green Party leader Simone Peter said that countries in crisis couldn't be fixed just by a "rigorous policy of cuts" and "tightening the noose".

The enforced cuts were leaving no space for Greece to invest in the future, she told the Hamburger Abendblatt on Monday.

Meanwhile Left leader Katja Kipping told Bild that the election result was a "clear rejection of the cuts diktat, which is a social catastrophe and irresponsible for the national economy".

"We are now hoping for a red spring in Europe", she concluded.

SEE ALSO: Merkel to Greece: 'remain part of our story'

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ELECTION

German Greens’ chancellor candidate Baerbock targeted by fake news

With Germany's Green party leading the polls ahead of September's general elections, the ecologists' would-be successor to Angela Merkel has become increasingly targeted by internet trolls and fake news in recent weeks.

German Greens' chancellor candidate Baerbock targeted by fake news
The Greens chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock on April 26th. Photo: DPA

From wild claims about CO2-emitting cats and dogs to George Soros photo collages, 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock has been the subject of a dizzying array of fake news, conspiracy theories and online attacks since she was announced as the Greens’ chancellor candidate in mid-April.

The latest polls have the Greens either ahead of or level with Merkel’s ruling conservatives, as the once fringe party further establishes itself as a leading electoral force in Europe’s biggest economy.

Baerbock herself also consistently polls higher than her conservative and centre-left rivals in the race to succeed Merkel, who will leave office after 16 years this autumn.

Yet her popularity has also brought about unwanted attention and a glut of fake news stories aimed at discrediting Baerbock as she bids to become Germany’s first Green chancellor.

READ ALSO:

False claims

Among the false stories circulating about Baerbock is the bizarre claim that she wants to ban household pets in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Another fake story firmly denied by the party claimed that she defied rules on mask-wearing and social-distancing by embracing colleagues upon her nomination earlier this month.

Baerbock has also been presented as a “model student” of Hungarian billionaire George Soros – a hate figure for the European far-right and anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists – in a mocked-up social media graphic shared among others by a far-right MP.

More serious online attacks include a purported photo of Baerbock which in fact shows a similar-looking naked model.

The Greens’ campaign manager Michael Kellner said that the attempts to discredit Baerbock had “taken on a new dimension”, that “women are targeted more heavily by online attacks than men, and that is also true of our candidate”.

Greens co-leader Annalena Baerbock earlier this month. Photo: DPA

Other false claims about the party include reports of a proposed ban on barbecues, as well as plans to disarm the police and enforce the teaching of the Quran in schools.

While such reports are patently absurd, they are potentially damaging to Baerbock and her party as they bid to spring a surprise victory in September.

“She has a very real chance, but the coming weeks are going to be very important because Baerbock’s public image is still taking shape,” Thorsten Faas, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University told AFP.

In a bid to fight back against the flood of false information, the party has launched a new “online fire service” to report fake news stories.

READ ALSO: Greens become ‘most popular political party’ in Germany

Russian disinformation

Yet stemming the tide is no easy job, with many of those who peddle disinformation now using private messaging services such as WhatsApp and Telegram rather than public platforms such as Facebook.

The pandemic and ongoing restrictions on public life will also make it harder for the campaign to push through their own narratives at public events.

Miro Dittrich of Germany’s Amadeu-Antonio anti-racism foundation claims that lockdown has “played a role” in the spread of fake news.

“People are isolated from their social environment and are spending a lot more time online,” he said.

Another factor is Russia, which has made Germany a primary target of its efforts to spread disinformation in Europe.

According to the European anti-disinformation platform EUvsDisinfo, Germany has been the target of 700 Russian disinformation cases since 2015, compared to 300 aimed at France and 170 at Italy.

As an outspoken critic of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, Baerbock may well become a target of such attacks during the election campaign.

By Mathieu FOULKES

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