Greek Government in Crisis Over ERT Closure

ATHENS: Greek pubcaster ERT remains officially closed, despite a court ruling that its transmissions should resume, while a rift in the country’s governing coalition widens over the handling of the crisis.

The Democratic Left has pulled off the ruling coalition after talks over the future of public broadcasting in Greece broke down. With just 14 lawmakers, the party was the smallest in the coalition, but the move still leaves PM Antonis Samaras with just a slim majority in parliament.

About ten days ago, Samaras ordered the closure of ERT, calling it a waste of money. Protests ensued and a court ruling ordered that ERT’s signal be resumed pending Samaras’s planned overhaul of the public broadcasting system; Samaras is in favor of a smaller outfit to replace ERT.