In a recently unveiled autobiography, titled Ithaki, the ex- premier Tsipras spares no criticism while he revisits the chaotic era during Greece's economic turmoil.
An Unconventional Appointment
As per the ex-PM's recollections, Tsipras appointed that unorthodox economist Yanis Varoufakis as the finance minister mainly because of his worldwide fame along with his “extremely attractive” skills as a speaker.
“He was, in reality, more like a celebrity rather than an economic expert,” stated the 51-year-old.
Clashing Agendas
Tsipras claims how Varoufakis had a personal motives that involved advancing Varoufakis's publications and testing out his theories using the nation instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability.
He wrote how the negotiations to stave off bankruptcy became “not only a method to secure a better deal for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental chance to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's theories.”
Critical Negotiations
During volatile negotiations, Greece found itself dangerously on the brink of exiting the single currency area.
On the line lay both the country's future and the harsh cutbacks demanded in return for rescue loans by international creditors.
Unsuccessful Options
Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate plea to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping the indebted country would be tantamount to tossing cash into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.
Referendum and U-Turn
In July 2015, those punitive conditions were subjected to a public vote, a move which plunged Europe into further existential crisis.
Although the vote was won decisively by voters who opposed the cuts, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package with creditors that proved to be more severe.
Final Straw
Tsipras revealed that he began to doubt his finance minister quite early on.
“Varoufakis was the face of negotiation, the man who drew publicity, who graced the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”
After Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included creating a secondary currency and issuing coupons to retirees, the leader said he realised it was the end and asked him: “Can you be serious?”
Enduring Rebuke
In the book, the author concludes how his former ally had proved himself “unfit for an agreement that required complex and delicate management.”
He further claimed how Varoufakis's aggressive approach made him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while assisted hardliners that were pushing for Grexit.
The account of events has been met with fury along with shock in some quarters, whereas Varoufakis has kept a deafening silence regarding these claims.
