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| ATHENS — Greece’s fragile three-way coalition was dealt a serious blow on Friday, the anniversary of its creation, when its smallest party withdrew to protest Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s shutdown of the state broadcaster, the latest in a series of unilateral decisions that have enraged his partners in government. | ATHENS — Greece’s fragile three-way coalition was dealt a serious blow on Friday, the anniversary of its creation, when its smallest party withdrew to protest Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s shutdown of the state broadcaster, the latest in a series of unilateral decisions that have enraged his partners in government. |
| But after hours of emergency meetings — and under renewed pressure from Greece’s foreign lenders to meet budget targets and fire civil servants — a cabinet reshuffle looked more likely than fresh elections. The coalition’s two largest parties, former rivals, pledged to hold the government together, and the small Democratic Left, which left the coalition, said it would continue to support the government in parliamentary votes. | But after hours of emergency meetings — and under renewed pressure from Greece’s foreign lenders to meet budget targets and fire civil servants — a cabinet reshuffle looked more likely than fresh elections. The coalition’s two largest parties, former rivals, pledged to hold the government together, and the small Democratic Left, which left the coalition, said it would continue to support the government in parliamentary votes. |
| “After Democratic Left’s decision to withdraw its support from the government and to withdraw its ministers, I will be submitting my resignation to the prime minister,” said Antonis Manitakis, the minister of administrative reform, who had been tasked with overseeing painful cuts to the Civil Service. | “After Democratic Left’s decision to withdraw its support from the government and to withdraw its ministers, I will be submitting my resignation to the prime minister,” said Antonis Manitakis, the minister of administrative reform, who had been tasked with overseeing painful cuts to the Civil Service. |
| In a written statement, the leader of the Democratic Left, Fotis Kouvelis, said that Greece “does not need elections” and that his party “strived and will continue to strive to ensure the country remains in the European framework.” | In a written statement, the leader of the Democratic Left, Fotis Kouvelis, said that Greece “does not need elections” and that his party “strived and will continue to strive to ensure the country remains in the European framework.” |
| Even as Greek society continues to come undone at an alarming rate, with unemployment at 27 percent after five years of recession, the political crisis came at the end of a relatively calm year for the coalition. During this time, Mr. Samaras, leader of the center-right New Democracy party, sought to convince international investors and his European partners of the country’s stability. Europe eagerly embraced the narrative, not wanting trouble ahead of national elections in powerful Germany in September. | Even as Greek society continues to come undone at an alarming rate, with unemployment at 27 percent after five years of recession, the political crisis came at the end of a relatively calm year for the coalition. During this time, Mr. Samaras, leader of the center-right New Democracy party, sought to convince international investors and his European partners of the country’s stability. Europe eagerly embraced the narrative, not wanting trouble ahead of national elections in powerful Germany in September. |
| Although Democratic Left provided more political cover than crucial parliamentary support to the conservative prime minister, analysts said the crisis was a turning point from which the government was unlikely to recover. | Although Democratic Left provided more political cover than crucial parliamentary support to the conservative prime minister, analysts said the crisis was a turning point from which the government was unlikely to recover. |
| “If this is not suicide it is self-mutilation of a kind that will leave the political system chronically unstable — whether Prime Minister Antonis Samaras calls elections or tries to limp on,” Nikos Konstandaras, the managing editor of Kathimerini, a daily newspaper, wrote in an editorial on Friday. | “If this is not suicide it is self-mutilation of a kind that will leave the political system chronically unstable — whether Prime Minister Antonis Samaras calls elections or tries to limp on,” Nikos Konstandaras, the managing editor of Kathimerini, a daily newspaper, wrote in an editorial on Friday. |
| With fears that a Greek government collapse would derail Greece’s loan agreement with its foreign lenders, the potential ramifications echoed across Europe. European officials and the International Monetary Fund have indicated that they might suspend financing to Greece if political instability blocked their evaluation of the country’s progress. | With fears that a Greek government collapse would derail Greece’s loan agreement with its foreign lenders, the potential ramifications echoed across Europe. European officials and the International Monetary Fund have indicated that they might suspend financing to Greece if political instability blocked their evaluation of the country’s progress. |
| At a news conference Friday afternoon in Luxembourg, Olli Rehn, the European Union’s commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, said, “It is very important to stabilize the political situation in Greece now, immediately,” before the lenders return to Athens in July to review its progress in meeting commitments made in exchange for emergency aid. “I appeal to the sense of political responsibility of all political leaders and the Greek people to ensure stability, and concentrate on policy rather than politics.” | |
| The turbulence erupted after Mr. Samaras unilaterally shut down the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, known as ERT, on June 11, in an attempt to meet the demands of Greece’s foreign lenders that it fire 2,000 public sector workers by the end of June. The Democratic Left opposed the move, as did the Socialist party, Pasok. | The turbulence erupted after Mr. Samaras unilaterally shut down the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, known as ERT, on June 11, in an attempt to meet the demands of Greece’s foreign lenders that it fire 2,000 public sector workers by the end of June. The Democratic Left opposed the move, as did the Socialist party, Pasok. |
| On Thursday, Mr. Kouvelis criticized Mr. Samaras for keeping the state broadcaster dark even after one of Greece’s highest courts ordered it put back on the air. “For us it is an issue of democratic legitimacy,” he said. Showing deft political acrobatics, he said on Friday that his party would support the government in economic reforms bills to be put before Parliament in the coming weeks even after leaving the coalition. | On Thursday, Mr. Kouvelis criticized Mr. Samaras for keeping the state broadcaster dark even after one of Greece’s highest courts ordered it put back on the air. “For us it is an issue of democratic legitimacy,” he said. Showing deft political acrobatics, he said on Friday that his party would support the government in economic reforms bills to be put before Parliament in the coming weeks even after leaving the coalition. |
| Together, the New Democracy party and the Socialists have 153 and possibly up to 157 seats in the 300-seat Parliament with the rumored return of defectors from their ranks. It was not immediately clear on Friday whether the government would have to call a confidence vote in addition to reshuffling the cabinet. | Together, the New Democracy party and the Socialists have 153 and possibly up to 157 seats in the 300-seat Parliament with the rumored return of defectors from their ranks. It was not immediately clear on Friday whether the government would have to call a confidence vote in addition to reshuffling the cabinet. |
| The leader of the Socialist party, Evangelos Venizelos, said on Thursday that the closing of the broadcaster “offended citizens’ democratic sensibilities,” but explained why his party would stay in the government. “The question is that of early elections or not,” he said. “People don’t want elections, they want a government that can operate quickly, properly, efficiently.” | The leader of the Socialist party, Evangelos Venizelos, said on Thursday that the closing of the broadcaster “offended citizens’ democratic sensibilities,” but explained why his party would stay in the government. “The question is that of early elections or not,” he said. “People don’t want elections, they want a government that can operate quickly, properly, efficiently.” |
| Experts said the Socialists had not wanted to bring down the government, and Mr. Samaras did not want to call new elections to consolidate his mandate, because New Democracy has only a narrow lead in opinion polls over the leftist opposition party, Syriza, and the government is also wary of the surge in popularity of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. | Experts said the Socialists had not wanted to bring down the government, and Mr. Samaras did not want to call new elections to consolidate his mandate, because New Democracy has only a narrow lead in opinion polls over the leftist opposition party, Syriza, and the government is also wary of the surge in popularity of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. |
| But in a volatile climate, the shutdown of the state broadcaster could potentially devolve into something more unpredictable. Since June 11, the 2,600 employees of ERT have been illegally occupying the building’s headquarters in northern Athens and broadcasting online after the government cut the electricity to its satellites. It remained to be seen how Mr. Samaras intended to remove the workers from the premises. | But in a volatile climate, the shutdown of the state broadcaster could potentially devolve into something more unpredictable. Since June 11, the 2,600 employees of ERT have been illegally occupying the building’s headquarters in northern Athens and broadcasting online after the government cut the electricity to its satellites. It remained to be seen how Mr. Samaras intended to remove the workers from the premises. |
| The Finance Ministry issued a statement on Friday afternoon, calling on employees “to evacuate the premises of the former ERT to allow for the unhindered and immediate implementation of the Council of State’s decision,” referring to a decision by a top Greek court that upheld the closing but called for the broadcaster’s signal to be restored immediately. | |
| The statement added that the government was drawing up a plan for the 2,000 positions deemed necessary to run an interim broadcast network, an apparent reference to the three-month contracts Mr. Samaras referred to in a televised address on Thursday. Calling ERT a bastion of political patronage, fed for decades by his own party as well as the Socialists, Mr. Samaras has pledged to reopen the broadcaster in three months with fewer employees. | |
| With ERT’s signal now dark, statements by Mr. Samaras and the other political leaders that would normally have been broadcast on the government channel were transmitted by private networks. | With ERT’s signal now dark, statements by Mr. Samaras and the other political leaders that would normally have been broadcast on the government channel were transmitted by private networks. |
Niki Kitsantonis reported from Athens, and Rachel Donadio from Rome. | Niki Kitsantonis reported from Athens, and Rachel Donadio from Rome. James Kanter contributed reporting from Luxembourg. |