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"If it continues with Papandreou and the referendum, we will end up with a default"
- Stefanos Manos, former Greek Finance Minister
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou decided to put the latest bailout package for the nation to a public referendum late Monday. "The Greek prime minister has taken this decision without talking it through with his European colleagues," said Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs meetings of euro zone finance ministers.
"If it continues with Papandreou and the referendum, we will end up with a default and the default will push us into the drachma," former Greek Finance Minister Stefanos Manos said in an interview with Dublin-based broadcaster RTE on Tuesday.
"The crisis in the country has taken on uncontrollable dimensions and threatens the cohesion of Greek society," said lawmaker Milena Apostolaki. "The titanic effort needed to exit the crisis needs national acceptance and social support. A referendum is a deeply divisive process. I want to express my categorical disagreement with this initiative of the government."