World·Video

Greece's referendum: A view from the streets

Watch as a cab driver in Greece talks about the complicated choices Greek citizens face ahead of Sunday's referendum on whether to accept the conditions of EU and IMF bailouts and the potential for Greece to be driven out of the eurozone.

A cab driver expounds on the country's financial dilemma

View from the street: An Athens taxi driver on the Greek referendum

9 years ago
Duration 2:04
CBC's Margaret Evans rides through Athens with a taxi driver who says he's still not sure how to vote in Greece's upcoming referendum.

As Greece anticipates a referendum vote Sunday on whether to accept terms of a European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout, citizens are mulling over their choices amid a pivotal moment in their country's history.

"It's better that we have partners, we're not alone," said Aris, a taxi driver in Athens. "It's better to be in Europe, but not in this condition, in my opinion. It's very bad to vote Yes, it's very bad to say No."

Polls released Friday by the University of Macedonia and an Athens newspaper suggest the Yes and No sides getting almost equal support.

"I voted for [Prime Minister Alex] Tsipras because [it was] something new, something different," said Aris. "I think that he tries, he tries a lot to change things, but it's not so easy."

Opposition parties, and many European officials, say a No vote — which Tsipras supports — would drive Greece out of the eurozone, further complicating its financial future.

A new opinion poll suggests a dead heat in Greece's referendum campaign with just two days to go before Sunday's vote. (Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press)

"We are Europe … Europe is Greece," said Aris. "For me, it's not a question [of] being in Europe or not. It's about being in better conditions in Europe."

Watch the video above.