Eurozone torn on Greece’s inclusion, post-referendum Eurozone finance ministers are torn on Greece’s position in the monetary union post-referendum. Amid the tense run-up to the vote, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has said he would resign if the “yes” vote wins.
Amid growing concerns of Greece’s future in the eurozone, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said he would step down if the “yes” vote won in Sunday’s referendum on a proposal put forth by Greece’s creditors – European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Responding to a question on whether he would still be finance minister on Monday if the “yes” vote won, Varoufakis said, “I will not,” during an interview on Bloomberg TV.
When asked whether Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would also step down, he said: “When you go into battle, you don’t talk about defeat,” but added that the government “may very well” resign.
Varoufakis’ comments come amid a major push by Tsipras and his ruling party – Syriza – for a “no” vote at the referendum.
According to Tsipras, a “no” on Sunday would provide the Greek government a stronger position in negotiating its bailout program with its creditors.
“Come Monday, the Greek government will be at the negotiating table after the referendum with better terms for the Greek people,” Tsipras said.