Tens of thousands of Greeks took to the streets on Friday in rival
rallies that laid bare the deep divide heading into a referendum that
may decide the country's future in Europe's single currency.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, elected in January on a promise to end years of austerity, urged people packing Syntagma square in central Athens to spurn the tough terms of an aid deal offered by international creditors to keep the country afloat.
Framing Sunday's ballot as a battle for democracy, freedom and European values, the 40-year-old left-wing leader told Greeks to "turn your backs on those who terrorize you daily."
"On Sunday, we are not just deciding that we are staying in Europe, but that we are deciding to live with dignity in Europe," he told the crowd of at least 50,000
His European partners say a 'No' vote will jeopardize Greece's membership of the euro.
His opponents accuse Tsipras of gambling Greece's future on a rapid-fire plebiscite that a major European rights watchdog says falls short of international standards of fairness.
Supporters of the 'Yes' campaign attend a rally and listen to speeches at the Olympic Stadium in preparation for Sunday's referendum on July 3, 2015 in Athens, Greece.
Youths chant slogans supporting the "no" vote for the upcoming referendum in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015.
Greek protesters hold a placard reading 'No' during a demonstration calling for a 'No' vote in the upcoming referendum in Athens on July 3, 2015
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, elected in January on a promise to end years of austerity, urged people packing Syntagma square in central Athens to spurn the tough terms of an aid deal offered by international creditors to keep the country afloat.
Framing Sunday's ballot as a battle for democracy, freedom and European values, the 40-year-old left-wing leader told Greeks to "turn your backs on those who terrorize you daily."
"On Sunday, we are not just deciding that we are staying in Europe, but that we are deciding to live with dignity in Europe," he told the crowd of at least 50,000
His European partners say a 'No' vote will jeopardize Greece's membership of the euro.
His opponents accuse Tsipras of gambling Greece's future on a rapid-fire plebiscite that a major European rights watchdog says falls short of international standards of fairness.
Supporters of the 'Yes' campaign attend a rally and listen to speeches at the Olympic Stadium in preparation for Sunday's referendum on July 3, 2015 in Athens, Greece.
Youths chant slogans supporting the "no" vote for the upcoming referendum in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015.
A man passes out a leaflet reading in Greek "Vote NO in the referendum, Down with the EU" in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015
Greek protesters hold a placard reading 'No' during a demonstration calling for a 'No' vote in the upcoming referendum in Athens on July 3, 2015
More than two hundred thousand people gathered at Syntagma Square in
front of the Greek parliament to protest in favour of a No vote
2015 Greek bailout referendum on Sunday July 05,2015
Thousands on 'NO' protesters gather in front of the parliament building in Athens.
Thousands of Greeks take part in a rally called by governing Syriza party to urge voters to say No
2015 Greek bailout referendum on Sunday July 05,2015
A Referendum to decide whether or notGreece is to accept the bailout conditions proposed jointly by the European Commission(EC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) on June 25,2015, is due to take place on July 05,2015
The referendum was announced by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in the early morning of June 27,2015, and ratified the following day by the Parliament and the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos
Voters will be asked whether they approve of the proposal made to Greece by the EU, the IMF and the ECB
The question will contain two choices stated as "Those citizens that
reject the proposal of the three institutions vote 'Not approved/No'"
and "Those citizens that agree with the proposal of the three
institutions vote 'Approved/Yes'"
There are
9,855,029 people on the Greek electoral register. Voters will be able to
cast their ballots on Sunday in 19,159 polling stations across Greece
To encourage people to vote, there will be discounts on train and bus tickets as well as domestic flights.
The last referendum held in Greece took place 41 years ago, in 1974, when voters abolished the monarchy.
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