Zoe Konstantopoulou

Greece’s Parliament has authorized the SYRIZA government to sign an agreement with creditors and avert a meltdown of the country’s eurozone membership, with an unprecedented early morning vote drawing cross-party support for a deal.

The latest “twist” in the Greek “crisis saga” played out in Parliament’s corridors throughout Friday, mostly orchestrated by Parliament President Zoe Konstantopoulou.
The tragi-comedic handing of the supremely crucial and urgent vote to give the Tsipras government the right to work out a deal with creditors essentially means that a roll-call vote will be taken at … 3 a.m.!

All hell broke loose during the parliamentary debate on the referendum on July 5 when centrist To Potami leader took the floor. “You never worked from your own toil. You always were on the party’s pay roll,” he said. Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government deputies and those of the socialist PASOK party immediately reacted to these comments.

Greece’s brash Parliament President Zoe Konstantopoulou on Monday threatened to have Bank of Greece Gov. Yannis Stournaras — the former FinMin — brought before a Parliament committee by … force, if necessary.

Parliament Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou characterized the BoG’s yearly report on the country’s fiscal policy as “unacceptable”, and… returned it to sender, blaming BoG director Yannis Stournaras on the report.

After marathon talks with the committee for public revenue, Speaker of the House Zoe Konstantopoulou took out Greek and Spanish advisers to 12 on Diomeias Street to unwind and enjoy good food. The human rights lawyer who has vowed to bring accountability to public life was inundated with requests for selfies and inside information.

With cash running low in state coffers and still no bailout deal in sight, and despite the fact that the Greek economy is still mired in an official recession, members of ruling SYRIZA party’s parliamentary group have set their sights on the … Mideast problem.

“We’ll have a chat with those who cover-up for rapists another time,” was the eyebrow-raising phrase used by the leader of the centrist Potami party on Friday during an off-the-agenda party leaders’ debate, sending shock waves through the legislature.

Speaker of the House Zoe Konstantopoulou took the podium at the Forum European des Alternatives taking place in Paris on May 30-31.

“The battle Greece is giving is a battle for all nations of Europe for democracy, freedom and dignity,” she said. “And it is a battle that must be won!”

It’s all Greek … to you (!), but we’ll summarize: