Greek government-debt crisis

Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras has said he never contemplated taking Greece out of the European Union or dropping its common currency when he called the 2015 referendum.

"Not even for a moment did it cross my mind to negotiate the country's presence in the EU and use of the euro," he told the final day of the "50 Years of the Metapolitefsi" conference.

One of the areas where Greece made some of its greatest strides during the past 50 years has been in foreign policy, the second day of the "50 Years of the Metapolitefsi" conference heard on Friday.

New Democracy bears a "huge responsibility" for its populism in undermining his government after Greece's financial woes became known and for prolonging the country's bailout regime, former prime minister George Papandreou said on Friday.

Former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras believes that the country's lenders pulled the plug on his government in late 2014 so as to prevent Greece from exiting the bailout agreements before Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA came to power.

80% of those who say they will vote for SYRIZA in the European elections, say also that the cancellation of the presidential election strengthened Stefanos Kasselakis - Tsipras divides SYRIZA - 0.7 points gain in 10 days for the Velopoulos party, KKE KKE narrowly ahead

Financial consultants UBS, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are conducting critical consultations on the intentions of potential investors in relation to the price they are willing to pay for 27% of Piraeus Bank on behalf of bank bailout fund HFSF. 

"I tried to provide solutions in the way I could," said Panagiotis Pikrammenos, reflecting on his time as caretaker prime minister during the Greek debt crisis.

Pikrammenos made the comment during a conversation with Tom Ellis, editor in chief at Kathimerini English Edition, at the "50 Years of the Metapolitefsi" conference in Athens on Thursday.

Ruling New Democracy remains dominant according to an MRB poll of voter intentions in the next national elections, presented on Wednesday by Open TV, garnering 29%. Socialist PASOK climbed to second position with 11.1%, ahead of leftist SYRIZA with 10.1%.

The Education Ministry's bill on higher education was introduced in the competent Parliament committee on Tuesday and is expected to be passed on March 1. It will be the government's final signature measure before the formal run-up to the European elections begins, and the goal of the bill is to demonstrate that ruling New Democracy is the only reforming force in the country.

Main opposition SYRIZA is going through a deep crisis, with both its identity as well as its leadership being challenged.

After months of intense infighting and a process that had the elements of a slow, painful self-destruction, on Sunday the party averted at the last moment what looked to be a political explosion, by opting not to hold a new election for president.