A petition signed by German citizens, intellectuals and activists and posted on the German Annotazione (link in German) site is urging Chancellor Angela Merkel to stop the scaremongering in her perceived bid to influence the Greek electorate not to vote for parties running on an anti-bailout ticket.
According to Syriza’s leading members the party does not recognise the memorandum signed by previous governments and its leader, Alexis Tsipras, has said he would negotiate debt relief with international lenders without taking unilateral steps.
Merkel and her finance minister Wolfgang Schaueble have repeatedly made statements warning that Berlin and Brussels will not accept any changes to Greece’s s bailout programme, hinting that it could otherwise lead to a Grexit.
Schaeuble has said a debt restructuring ‘ was out of the question’, insisting Greece must stick to all of its agreements after the election.
“Politicians in Greece must also be careful that they don't promise more before the election than they can actually deliver afterwards,” he reportedly said.
To the signatories of the petition, statements like these amount to nothing short of meddling in the democratic process of another country
“We can’t endure this situation any longer,” the petition said.
“We want to make it clear to the Greeks that these powers do not speak in our name,” it said, adding that “we reject any effort by the federal government, through the exercising of outside pressures, to manipulate the democratic will of the Greek people”.
The petitioners also declared that they stand by the side of the Greek political forces that want to break the shackles of the ‘destructive austerity policies that are being enforced at the expense of the Greek people, and are struggling for efficient social systems that work for the benefit of the people”.
Greece’s find itself in a different financial situation, it said, not because of the prospect of a leftist government, but because of the austerity policies that have been enforced and demanded by the Troika (and the ruling classes).
A change of policy, it said, would have a broader impact beyond Greece.
“The threat that a change in policy would lead to ‘chaos’ and to the deterioration of Greek living standards is the exact opposite of the true facts.”