Istanbul, July 6 () - Greeks rejected the terms of a bailout package offered by the Troika, consisting European Commission, European Central Bank and the Intarnational Monetary Fund, according to the official figures showing 61 percent of Greeks said "oxi" (no) in the referandum voting on Sunday.
For millions of Greeks, the outcome was "a strong" message to creditors that Greece can longer accept repeated rounds of austerity that, in five years, had left one in four without a job. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has denounced the price paid for aid as "blackmail" and a national "humiliation."
Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described the result as a “great victory”, at his message on Twitter, stating that Athens would return to the negotiating table on Monday with a strengthened hand.
"Today's referendum doesn't have winners or losers. It is a great victory, in and of itself. The mandate you've given me does not call for a break with Europe, but rather gives me greater negotiating strength" he said.
Officials from the Greek government, which had argued that a 'No' vote would strengthen its hand to secure a better deal from international creditors after months of wrangling, immediately said they would try to restart talks with European partners.
Many of Athens' partners have warned over the past week that a 'No' vote would mean cutting bridges with Europe and driving Greece's crippled financial system into outright bankruptcy, dramatically worsening the country's economic depression.
Greek banks, which have been closed all week and rationing withdrawals from cash machines, are expected to run out of money within days unless the European Central Bank provides an emergency lifeline.
