Greece remains divided between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ as bailout referendum looms
Greece’s debt crisis had taken a dramatic turn after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras suddenly called the referendum on bailout conditions early last Saturday.
Greece hurtled on Saturday towards a crunch bailout referendum which could determine its financial future and even its place in the euro zone, as anxious families unnerved by the country’s uncertain outlook rushed to stock up on food.
On the eve of the vote that could also make or break the radical-left government, Greeks were spooked by rumours that capital controls were leading to food and medicine shortages, and questions were being raised on when the country’s banks would reopen.
Middle-aged toyshop assistant Marilena said she was buying “food, only food nothing else” for her children.
“I’ve heard shops are running out of flour, sugar and salt. I’m really worried, how will we manage if we can’t get to our money and there’s no food to buy?” Lena Antoniou, a 35-year old mother of two, said.
Nikos Archondis from the Panhellenic Exporters Association (PEA) said “certain supermarkets are very concerned because they cannot forecast how the situation will evolve,” adding that stocks of meat, cheeses, fruits and vegetables “risk running low in the following weeks”.
Many businesses said they had been forced to ask workers to take unpaid leave, some shops were refusing card payments in an effort to hoard cash and there were reports of companies paying workers in IOUs valid in local supermarkets.