Greece's finance minister vows to resign if Greeks vote for a bailout Sunday

yanis varoufakis
(Image credit: Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

As the battle for Greek votes heats up ahead of the country's crucial weekend referendum, Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has vowed to resign from his position if the Greek people vote 'yes' on Sunday to accept strict austerity measures that would come with a bailout deal. Both Varoufakis and Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras are pulling for Greeks to vote 'no,' in hopes that they can avoid giving into European creditors' demands and gain more leverage in negotiating a third bailout program.

In Varouakis' opinion, which he expressed in a Thursday interview with Bloomberg TV, a 'yes' vote on Sunday would mean signing a new "extend and pretend" agreement that does not actually correct past mistakes or tackle issues such as debt sustainability.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More