(Reuters) - Greece's government faced an internal revolt and public outrage on Wednesday over the sudden closure of state broadcaster ERT, hours after the humiliation of seeing its bourse downgraded to emerging market status.
The twin setbacks, coupled with the derailing of a troubled privatization program, reversed a rise in investor confidence that had prompted Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to say the risk of a "Grexit" from the euro was dead and a "Greekovery" was under way.
Yields on Greece's 10-year benchmark bond crept back above 10 percent after Athens failed to sell state gas firm DEPA on Monday, putting it at risk of missing bailout targets.
The stock market traded at two-month lows after Greece became the first developed nation ever to be lowered to emerging market status by equity index provider MSCI.
Samaras's government declined comment on the market reclassification as it tried to fend off a growing backlash against ERT's dramatic closure that prompted outrage from journalists, unions and leaders across the political spectrum.
The public broadcaster was yanked off air just hours after the shutdown was announced in what the government said was a temporary measure to staunch an "incredible waste" of taxpayers' money prior to its relaunch as a slimmed-down station.
Labor unions called a 24-hour national work stoppage for Thursday and journalists went on an open-ended strike, forcing a news blackout on privately owned television and newspapers.
"The strike will only end when the government takes back this coup d'etat which gags information," the ESIEA union said.
Some ERT journalists occupied the broadcaster's building in defiance of government orders and broadcasted over the Internet, showing somber newscasters deploring the shutdown and replaying images of thousands gathered outside to protest.
ERT's reporters from as far away as Australia appeared on air to describe the outrage of local Greek communities.
"It is our only link with our homeland," said Odysseas Mandeakis, president of the Greek community in Zambia.
VERY WORRYING
In Athens, the ERT crisis overshadowed MSCI's reclassification of the country, whose bourse it said had not met the developed market criteria for size for two years. Still, brokers said the move could trigger inflows to the bourse.
"Emerging market funds could not enter since Greece was classified as developed market, now it will be on their radar," said Theodore Krintas, head of wealth management at Attica Bank.
Analysts said the outcry over the state broadcaster posed a more immediate threat to the government, even though ERT's three statewide channels have a combined audience share of barely 13 percent. About 2,000 of its 2,600 employees are non-journalists.
The government promised to relaunch ERT within weeks, saying it was taken off air so suddenly only due to fears that workers would damage state equipment.
"Some people are saying that what you are doing is outrageous," Samaras said. "It's our duty to stop what has been happening so far, stop hiding our problems and finally start dealing with them".
A senior government official said Athens was under pressure to show visiting EU and IMF inspectors that it had a plan to fire 2,000 state workers as required under its bailout, and the ERT shutdown was the only option available to meet the target.
The European Commission said it did not seek ERT's closure under the bailout but did not question the decision either. France's Socialist government voiced outright condemnation, calling it "very worrying and regrettable".
INDEFINITE STRIKE
Many Greeks have little love for ERT journalists and the state broadcaster is often cited as an example of inefficiency, overspending and jobs given in return for political favors.
But the speed and suddenness of the shutdown - ERT screens abruptly went black just before midnight - stunned Greeks long used to the slow pace of public sector restructuring.
"It had to happen. ERT was a big fat feast for the political parties," said Maria Panagiotou, a 65-year-old retiree. "But the way they did it is unacceptable. How can this happen in Europe?"
The closure opened cracks in Samaras's fragile three-party coalition. Samaras's two junior partners, the Socialist PASOK and the Democratic Left, said they would table a law to cancel the decision and complained they were not consulted.
But they stopped short of saying the row could bring the government down. PASOK convened an emergency party meeting.
"It could be highly destabilizing if it moves to a confrontation in parliament where the two smaller political parties have to humble themselves to avoid a next election or stick to it and force a next election," said political analyst Theodore Couloumbis.
The decision was taken by ministerial decree, meaning that it can be implemented without immediate reference to parliament.
Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras met President Karolos Papoulias to protest, calling the move "a coup, not only against ERT workers but against the Greek people", and accused the government of the "historic responsibility of gagging state TV".
The far-right Golden Dawn party was the only one who openly welcomed the closure, with lawmaker Ilias Panagiotaros tweeting: "ERT, that Socialist-Communist shack, is finally closing." ($1 = 0.7533 euros)
(Additional reporting by Harry Papachristou, Karolina Tagaris and Tatiana Fragou, writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by Paul Taylor and Philippa Fletcher)
ΠΡΟΣ ΔΗΜΟΣΙΑ ΔΙΑΒΟΥΛΕΥΣΗ
ΝΕΡΙΤ: Ολο το νομοσχέδιο για τη νέα ΕΡΤ
Οπως δήλωσε νωρίτερα ο κυβερνητικός εκπρόσωπος, Σίμος Κεδίκογλου στον ραδιοφωνικό σταθμό «Βήμα FM», ο νέος κρατικός ραδιοτηλεοπτικός φορές θα λειτουργήσει μέχρι τις 29 Αυγούστου.
Ο κ.Κεδίκογλου επεσήμανε ότι ο νέος κρατικός φορέας θα απασχολεί τουλάχιστον 1000 με 1200 άτομα ενώ ήδη έχει γίνει η επιλογή ατόμων εγνωσμένου κύρους για τη στελέχωσή του.
Για το υπάρχον προσωπικό διευκρίνισε ότι θα απολυθεί όλο, αλλά θα έχουν προτεραιότητα στις νέες προσλήψεις όσοι πραγματικά έχουν αποδώσει έργο στην ΕΡΤ όλα αυτά τα χρόνια.
Ολόκληρο το νομοσχέδιο εδώ
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