Greek Referendum on EU, ECB and IMF Bailout Proposals, 5 July 2015

On 5 July 2015, the Greek people voted in a referendum on whether to accept the terms of a bailout package offered by the European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—the so-called ‘Troika’ of international lenders. The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, leader of the left-wing Syriza party, campaigned for a ‘no’ vote, arguing that this would put the country on a better footing to negotiate more favourable terms with Greece’s creditors. The President of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, has said that a no vote could lead to Greece leaving the Eurozone. On a turnout of 62.5 percent, 61.3 percent voted to reject the proposed deal, while 38.7 percent voted in favour. A ‘no’ result was returned in each of Greece’s 56 electoral districts.