Greece’s Premier Alexis Tsipras has to walk a tightrope trying to strike a balance between the lavish campaign pledges and the tough stance of the European Union. On the one hand, the policymaker has to display the independence of the new government to Greek nationals. On the other hand, he has not to mess with the European Union when the talks on the emergency financial aid are in full swing. Aiming to calm down friction inside the country, Tsipras’ cabinet presented the drastic strategy to nationalize Greece’s banking system. The focal point of the new program is to introduce a parallel currency to pay bills. So, the drachma plans are circulating in Greece’s media and among the population. The drachma is Greece’s national currency which was replaced by the euro in January 2002. The ruling Syriza is the radical left anti-austerity party which is always exploiting the pride of its homeland. At present, Syriza is over-using patriotic slogans as it wants to disguise its inability to fulfil the election pledges. Besides, Athens aims to make an impact on the EU top officials who are to decide on further emergency aid. On the whole, Greece’s government has devised a smart plan to kill two birds with one stone. Credulous Greek voters have another sound reason for the national pride with the idea of returning to the national currency. Besides, the creditors took the hint that Athens is not going to cut the government spending. Unless the eurozone agrees to disburse the next tranche of its interim bailout in time, the Balkan country will be unable to keep the public services running and pay pensions. In this case, the return to the drachma is a possible scenario. “We are a left-wing government. If we have to choose between a default to the IMF or a default to our own people, it is a no-brainer,” a senior Greek official said. Syriza is still hoping that German Chancellor Angela Merkel can defuse the crisis, deeming her a “real ally”.
