“Stagnation or progress—corruption or integrity” is the dilemma Alexis Tsipras has posed for the elections, adding, as far as he is concerned, the factor of experience, in addition to the integrity he has demonstrated in the polls.
Speaking at the 7th OT Forum, he noted that “10 years ago, in 2015, when I became prime minister, I knew what I wanted to do. But I didn’t know exactly how to do it. Now I know both what I want and how to do it.”
He appeared confident that the election battle would be a close one: “Kyriakos Mitsotakis knows he’ll lose in the second round, but we’ll fight to make sure he loses in the first one too,” he said, giving a positive assessment of the Greek Left Coalition’s (ELAS) poll numbers from the very first days of its founding.
Responding to the issue of losing his driver’s license (which Mr. Mitsotakis mentioned on Thursday), Mr. Tsipras emphasized: “I knew that they take away your license when you break the rules, not when you lose an election. I governed and did not break any rules. Mr. Mitsotakis has become a regular client of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Therefore, if anyone couldn’t even ride a scooter, it’s Mr. Mitsotakis.”
Once again, he attributed his return to the central political stage to the weakness of other forces in the progressive camp.
“If there hadn’t been a vacuum, if the poll numbers hadn’t been stuck, I wouldn’t have returned. It’s obvious that there was a vacuum,” he said.
What success story?
Debunking with figures the image of a “success story” that the Prime Minister’s Office invokes regarding the Mitsotakis administration, he stated:
- I governed under the memoranda, so I was obliged to follow restrictive fiscal policies, austerity. Mr. Mitsotakis’s government had no such restrictions and also had 30 billion from the Recovery Fund.
- Let’s look at the numbers. For the years 2023–24–25, the growth rate is 2.1%. But we had 2.1% in 2018 and ended 2019 at 2.3%. So where is this significant growth?
- When I took office, competitiveness and the trade balance were negative, but by only 1.7 billion euros. Today, there is a deficit of 11 billion euros. We have plummeted three spots to 50th place in the competitiveness rankings according to the World Competitiveness Center. So where are the great successes?
- They’re celebrating the drop in unemployment. If we look at how much employment has grown—because that’s an interesting indicator—we’ll see that it’s increased by 400,000 jobs over the last six years. During the 4.5 years I was in office, it increased by 330,000 jobs. If you divide that, it’s roughly the same number—68,000 per year.
- Taxes were cut, but only for an elite. For the top 10% of the wealthiest Greeks. The lower classes are burdened with taxes, and some, of course, have the ability to make very large profits that are tax-free.
- The government is celebrating a €3 billion increase in investments by 2025. In 2018, we achieved the highest amount—the highest level of investment for the decade 2008–2018—and yet they accuse us of not being an investment-friendly government.
- But let’s look at the quality of the investments being made today in our country, in the Greek economy. Of those 3 billion, 40% are investments in real estate and housing. In other words, in non-productive investments.
- After seven years of New Democracy governance, we are experiencing its most intense phase—the same approach, the same methodology—that led us to bankruptcy.
- A clientelist state, corruption, social inequalities that are widening, a widespread sense that an oligarchy is profiting and ruling.
In light of this, Mr. Tsipras emphasized that “I am here, then, to shake things up a bit. To shake up all those who feel comfortable with the narrative that there is no alternative.”
He added: “Greece belongs to creative, productive people, to hard work, to young people who are creative and want meritocracy but are leaving the country. Greece belongs to people who love their homeland and want to leave something meaningful behind in this land.”
The package of five measures
In summary, he outlined the five-point package of immediate priorities:
- A minimum guaranteed amount of electricity at a fixed price for everyone.
- A public agency for the social management of housing loans.
- Free public transportation in Athens and Thessaloniki for everyone except tourists.
- Abolition of national standardized exams.
- Inclusion of professors and teachers in the Special Pay Scale and salary increases for nurses and doctors