A screengrab from the Protagon website.
ATHENS, Greece鈥擟alled to the ballot box for the third time in eight months, some Greeks are responding to election fatigue with a bailout-sized dose of Internet humor.
In one hit post on the news site Protagon, comedienne Lila Stabouloglou suggested 鈥渆lectoral tourism鈥� could prove a handy money-spinner for Greece鈥檚 cash-strapped authorities in the run-up to the vote in three weeks鈥� time.
鈥淭he Greek Tourism Organization is enthusiastically preparing to promote the idea of electoral tourism ahead of the vote on September 20,鈥� she wrote in the mock news report.
Her post was topped with a fake campaign poster, showing a ballot box floating alongside two boats in beautiful turquoise waters.
鈥淟ive Your Elections in Greece,鈥� it said鈥攁 riff on a well-known old tourism campaign, 鈥淟ive Your Myth in Greece.鈥�
Alexis Tsipras, who only became prime minister in January, triggered snap elections by quitting last month after his decision to sign Greece up for a third huge international bailout caused a deep split in his radical-left party Syriza.
In his short time in power he had also managed to hold a referendum on the bailout鈥攎eaning this month鈥檚 polls are not only the fifth elections the crisis-mired country has held in six years, but the third time in just eight months that Greeks have been asked to head to the polling station.
Stabouloglou鈥檚 鈥渢ourism campaign鈥� invites visitors to Greece to enjoy 鈥渢he electoral experience associated with the beauty of this country,鈥� perhaps by taking a trip to a 鈥渧oting theme park鈥� or loading up on vote-related souvenirs, like statues of flamboyant former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.
Posted hours after Tsipras resigned on August 20, the article sparked an explosion of comments and follow-up jokes on Twitter.
鈥楨ndless deja vu鈥�
The hashtag #ekloges2015_round2 (鈥淕reek elections 2015, round two鈥�), which also sprang up on August 20, continues to thrive online.
鈥淎re you ready for a new round of elections? No? It doesn鈥檛 matter, you鈥檙e getting them anyway!鈥� reads one Twitter post.
There were plenty of barbed comments aimed at Tsipras, too, ranging from those slamming his decision to agree to more tough reforms in exchange for the bailout鈥攁n abrupt u-turn for a premier who came to power vowing an end to austerity鈥攖o others grumbling that he has called elections in the middle of the holiday season.
鈥淎ugust is supposed to be a quiet month, isn鈥檛 it? Not if you live in Greece,鈥� wrote one netizen.
Another speculated that Tsipras鈥檚 鈥淧lan B鈥� for the country could involve Greece leaving the European Union and setting up the Electoral Union instead.
Others voiced suspicion that come voting day, the endless cycle of elections will result in mass apathy.
鈥淟et鈥檚 start the betting: less than 80 percent abstention, or more?鈥� said one such post.
A drawing by Arkas, one of Greece鈥檚 best-known cartoonists, summed up the feelings of many.
鈥淎nother bailout, more negotiations, more elections,鈥� a lost-looking man says in the picture.
鈥淚n this country, all we get is endless deja vu.鈥�
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