The social and political unrest leading to the creation of new parties stems from the political failure of New Democracy, said PASOK MP Michalis Katrinis in an interview with Meganews.
More specifically, speaking on the “Morning Point” program with journalists Andreas Papadopoulos and Maria Asterio, Michalis Katrinis called on the government not to smugly declare itself a “beacon of stability,” as the fluidity of the political landscape and society’s massive demand for political change signal the failure of its own policies.
He further emphasized that the recent public disagreements between two former New Democracy prime ministers—who have made scathing statements directly attacking the Mitsotakis government over the wiretapping scandal, the rule of law, and foreign policy issues, are a continuation of this reality, as well as the scathing letter from the European Prosecutor criticizing the government.
Speaking about the announcement of a new party by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, he made three observations:
- First, that Mr. Tsipras himself clearly defined the project within the realm of the traditional Left.
- Second, that he speaks of a coalition of the Left, when the leader of SYRIZA himself had with him Mr. Varoufakis, Mr. Lafazanis, Ms. Konstantopoulou, Mr. Haritsis, Mr. Kaselakis, and Mr. Famelos— that is, six current parties, and wondered whether he would have them with him in the new venture.
- Third, he highlighted the inconsistency of Mr. Tsipras’s stated intention to continue along the path of the early years of “Change, ” since, as he noted, it was the Coalition of the Left that in 1989 brought Andreas Papandreou before the Special Court, striving with fury and passion to send him to prison.
Finally, regarding this venture, he stated that, although Mr. Tsipras, through leaks from his “circles, ” had appeared throughout the previous period as a staunch advocate of a broader coalition against Mr. Mitsotakis and had implied that he would like to be on the same side as all the forces of the center-left, he is now reverting to the political persona he displayed during the 2012–2015 period, when he had targeted PASOK, and is attempting to place PASOK in the same position as New Democracy. This demonstrates neither stability, nor credibility, nor a “compass.”
Speaking regarding developments on national issues, he expressed concern that the Turkish Parliament’s passage of the “Blue Homeland” bill will shape Greek-Turkish relations for decades to come. He noted, in fact, that despite the government’s assurances of “calm waters” with Turkey, this is not the case from Kasos to the south of Crete, where the government does not dare to proceed beyond the 12-mile limit.