Title: The Greek referendum of July 5, 2015: on legitimacy and state credibility

Authors: Ioanna Pervou

Addresses: Hellenic Open University, Aristotelous Str., Patras, PC 26335, Greece

Abstract: The Greek bailout referendum of July 5, 2015 has been in the spotlight for quite a long time, particularly because of its significance for the state's fate regarding its stay in the European Union (EU). The referendum has attracted extensive theoretical discussion regarding its political implications. This was pretty anticipated, due to the state's bankruptcy, and the long-standing austerity measures imposed on Greece's citizens. The economic and political scenery in Greece was marked by this unprecedented, by European standards, crisis. From this perspective, there has been a long debate over the credentials of rational decision-making by the Greek people, as well as the following governmental moves in negotiating with the state's lenders. On the contrary, little attention has been paid on the legal aspects of this referendum: 1) issues of constitutionality; 2) legitimacy; 3) the state's international credibility have been sidestepped. These are the major axes of this research.

Keywords: constitutionality; Greek bailout referendum; judicial review; legitimacy; state credibility; decision-making; participatory democracy; direct democracy; European Union; economic crisis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRCS.2023.127669

International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, 2023 Vol.10 No.1, pp.11 - 22

Received: 29 Oct 2021
Accepted: 24 Nov 2021
Published online: 13 Dec 2022 *