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Greek court suspends ERT broadcaster closure | Greek court suspends ERT broadcaster closure |
(35 minutes later) | |
A Greek court has suspended a government order to close state broadcaster ERT - a move that triggered mass protests in the country last week. | A Greek court has suspended a government order to close state broadcaster ERT - a move that triggered mass protests in the country last week. |
The top administrative court said ERT could resume transmission until a new national media body is set up. | The top administrative court said ERT could resume transmission until a new national media body is set up. |
The ruling comes as Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition allies are holding talks on the issue. | |
Mr Samaras, who says ERT is corrupt, has reportedly offered to restart a trimmer version of the broadcaster. | Mr Samaras, who says ERT is corrupt, has reportedly offered to restart a trimmer version of the broadcaster. |
On Monday, the court - the Council of State - upheld Mr Samaras's plan to replace ERT with a new broadcaster later this year but backed the position of the other coalition partners that the signal must be restored in the interim. | |
It ordered the government to restart ERT broadcasts on a temporary basis. | |
The case was brought by ERT's union in an attempt to block Mr Samaras's surprise move. | |
The court's verdict increases pressure on Mr Samaras to row back, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens. | The court's verdict increases pressure on Mr Samaras to row back, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens. |
Each side will claim victory, he adds, but in the end the unity of the government has been badly weakened. | |
Mr Samaras said a new, leaner, cheaper broadcaster would be established within weeks and he proposed hiring a small team to produce news programmes in the interim. | |
But this idea was rejected by his two coalition partners. | |
The row has threatened to topple the government and force Greece - which is struggling to pay its huge debts - into fresh elections. | |
ERT workers celebrated outside the broadcaster's headquarters after hearing the court ruling. | |
"I've been here seven nights and this is the first time I've seen people smile," said reporter Eleni Hrona. | |
However, our correspondent says there is also the recognition that later this year many will lose their jobs as a new, leaner national broadcaster is formed. | |
Meanwhile, as coalition leaders went into talks, the main opposition party Syriza held a rally in Athens' Syntagma Square to demand early elections. |