Greece referendum: Greeks in decisive vote over debt deal
Millions of Greeks are voting in a crucial referendum on whether to accept the terms of an international bailout.
The government has urged a "No" vote, but the "Yes" side warns this could see Greece ejected from the eurozone.
"No
one can ignore the will of a people," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
said, after voting. First results are expected on Sunday evening.
Greeks appear evenly divided over the issue, according to opinion polls. Turnout is expected to be high.
The
governing radical-left Syriza party has criticised the bailout terms as
humiliating. Its leading figures say rejecting the terms could give
them more leverage in talks over the country's massive debt.
However,
international creditors have warned that a "No" vote could choke off
vital funding for Greek banks and lead to "Grexit - a chaotic departure
from the common European currency.
The "Yes" campaign has framed the vote as a referendum on Greek membership of the eurozone.
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| Athens resident Maya Korba said she voted 'Yes' - but was not truly happy with either option |
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| Officials have scrambled to get polling stations ready in time for voters on Sunday |
Supporters of both sides held rallies in Athens on Friday. Banks
stayed shut because of capital controls imposed after the expiry of the
current bailout programme.
Casting his ballot, Finance Minister
Yanis Varoufakis described the referendum as "a holy moment" that "gives
hope that the common currency and democracy can co-exist".
At the scene: The BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens
Under a cloudless sky they are streaming into this Athens polling station on a day that will shape the fate of Greece and of Europe. It is the climax of the Greek debt story: when this nation will accept or reject the entire eurozone strategy of the past five years.
If Greeks say "Yes", it would be hard to see this government staying put, having led the campaign against the measures. If it is a "No", emergency funds to Greek banks would be in jeopardy and eurozone leaders say a euro exit would be hastened. That's simply scaremongering, says the Greek government. But if negotiations do resume, there will be plenty of bad blood.
This campaign has profoundly divided Greeks. Tassos, voting "Yes", told me that Greece belongs in Europe. On the other side, 83-year-old Anastasia told me she couldn't survive on her meagre pension and was voting "for my homeland".
What is the referendum about?
Mr Varoufakis earlier told local media that the EU had "no legal grounds" to throw Greece out of the euro.
He separately told Spain's El Mundo newspaper (in Spanish) that the tactics of Athens' creditors amounted to "terrorism", because they had tried to instil fear in the people by forcing the closure of banks.
Mr Varoufakis said that the banks in Greece would reopen on Tuesday, whatever the outcome, and that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would still reach an agreement with creditors if the result was "No" in the referendum.
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Under a cloudless sky they are streaming into this Athens polling station on a day that will shape the fate of Greece and of Europe. It is the climax of the Greek debt story: when this nation will accept or reject the entire eurozone strategy of the past five years.
If Greeks say "Yes", it would be hard to see this government staying put, having led the campaign against the measures. If it is a "No", emergency funds to Greek banks would be in jeopardy and eurozone leaders say a euro exit would be hastened. That's simply scaremongering, says the Greek government. But if negotiations do resume, there will be plenty of bad blood.
This campaign has profoundly divided Greeks. Tassos, voting "Yes", told me that Greece belongs in Europe. On the other side, 83-year-old Anastasia told me she couldn't survive on her meagre pension and was voting "for my homeland".
What is the referendum about?
Mr Varoufakis earlier told local media that the EU had "no legal grounds" to throw Greece out of the euro.
He separately told Spain's El Mundo newspaper (in Spanish) that the tactics of Athens' creditors amounted to "terrorism", because they had tried to instil fear in the people by forcing the closure of banks.
Mr Varoufakis said that the banks in Greece would reopen on Tuesday, whatever the outcome, and that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would still reach an agreement with creditors if the result was "No" in the referendum.
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Meanwhile, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of
Greece's harshest critics, suggested that if Greece were to leave the
eurozone, it might only be temporary.
"Whether with the euro or
temporarily without it: only the Greeks can answer this question," he
told the German newspaper Bild. "And it is clear that we will not leave
the people in the lurch."
Ballot paper question
"Must the
agreement plan submitted by the European Commission, the European
Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the Eurogroup of 25
June, 2015, and comprised of two parts which make up their joint
proposal, be accepted? The first document is titled "reforms for the
completion of the current programme and beyond" and the second
"Preliminary debt sustainability analysis".
Voters must check one of two boxes - "not approved/no" or, below it, "approved/yes"
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| Capital controls have been in place in Greece over the past week |
Electoral workers have raced to get polling stations ready in time,
with army helicopters being used instead of boats to rush ballot papers
to the islands. Nearly 10 million people are eligible to vote.
Several
European officials have complained in strong terms about Greece's
abrupt decision to hold a referendum on the terms of a bailout offer
they say is no longer on the table.
Greece's Syriza-led government was elected in January on an anti-austerity platform.
The
European Commission, the European Union's executive arm - one of the
"troika" of creditors along with the International Monetary Fund and the
European Central Bank - wants Athens to raise taxes and slash welfare
spending to meet its debt obligations.
Lenders' proposals: Key sticking points
- VAT (sales tax): Alexis Tsipras accepts a new three-tier system, but wants to keep 30% discount on the Greek islands' VAT rates. Lenders want the islands' discounts scrapped
- Pensions: Ekas top-up grant for some 200,000 poorer pensioners will be phased out by 2020 - as demanded by lenders. But Mr Tsipras says no to immediate Ekas cut for the wealthiest 20% of Ekas recipients
- Defence: Mr Tsipras says reduce ceiling for military spending by €200m in 2016 and €400m in 2017. Lenders call for €400m reduction - no mention of €200m
Greek debt jargon explained
Tsipras and his Greek gamble
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