Greek Bailout ‘No’ Vote Communique to 'Rotten' Pro-Austerity Forces

Sofia Sakorafa, a member of the European Parliament from the Greek ruling Syriza party, called the result of result of the Greek referendum on bailout terms "the deafening people's response."

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — The result of the Greek referendum on bailout terms sent a clear message to those in politics and in the media advocating a ‘Yes’ vote, a member of the European Parliament from the Greek ruling Syriza party told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Sunday, the Greeks voted "No" to accepting creditor demands for spending cuts and tax increases in exchange for another loan.

“The people's response was deafening. Sixty-two percent of our people sent messages to multiple recipients,” Sofia Sakorafa said.

According to the lawmaker, the first message was “the unequivocal rejection of the austerity programs,” that would increase debt, unemployment and poverty and create a recession in the country.

The second message, Sakorafa added, was addressed to Brussels “for having attempted by the means of over interference, the process of economic asphyxiation to terrorize our people and to blackmail them to vote ‘Yes.'”

“The third message is addressed to the whole domestic rotten political and media system," the European Parliament's member asserted.

She pointed out, that prior to the referendum, "intertwining media" and "former prime ministers, ministers and political staff who bear tremendous responsibility for the current situation in Greece, were recruited in the name of ‘Yes.’"

"Our people turned their back on them once and for all," Sakorafa said.

The referendum was preceded by several failed rounds of talks and Greece's default on a June loan payment to the International Monetary fund (IMF).

European Council President Donald Tusk’s statement at Tuesday’s emergency eurozone summit said that the final deadline for achieving an agreement on Greek bailout expires Sunday.

Greece's overall debt stands at about $350 billion, of which $270 billion is owed to the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and some eurozone countries.