Tsipras: We can form a government whenever elections are held

Launching a new style of communication at the local level, where citizens from all walks of life take the microphone and share their problems, experiences, andcomplaints, with Mr. Tsipras concluding by explaining his party’s proposals regarding what was heard (and more), he brought to mind the similar approach he took before the 2015 elections.

He appeared more “lively,” speaking in a colorful, sharp tone (and at a high pitch at times) without scripts or a lectern.

Buoyed by yesterday’s Alco poll—which shows the Greek Left Alliance (14.2%) within single digits of New Democracy (23.3%) and a comfortable distance from PASOK (10.3%) as well as from Maria Karistianou’s “Hope” (8.1%), Mr. Tsipras attempted to raise the electoral bar: “If, within a few hours of ELAS’s founding, we became the official opposition—not only in the polls but also in the consciousness of the Greek people—in a few months we will also become the government whenever the polls are held,” he said.

Addressing many of the issues raised earlier by citizens, Mr. Tsipras also responded to criticism he had received regarding measures such as free public transportation: “The cost of this measure is one-fourth of the pass provided by the Mitsotakis government,” he said.

He also pointed out that the staff of the Institute bearing his name (INAT) has been developing measures and policy positions for the past two years, so nothing is uncalculated. (Editor’s note: On this point, his associates clearly refer to Giorgos Chouliarakis’s role in the Institute’s economic team, noting that both the individual proposals and the overall program to be presented in Thessaloniki in September will be costed “down to the last euro”).

When my own three-digit number rang…

Regarding the famous “dilemma” posed by the prime minister—“who will answer the phone (at Maximos) if it rings at 3 a.m.?”—he delivered a stinging response regarding the government’s stance on Greek-Turkish relations:

“When I was prime minister and the phone rang at 3 a.m. because the (Turkish) ‘Barbaros’ was in our EEZ, I ordered a Greek frigate to go there, and it changed course. But when Mr. Mitsotakis received a phone call about the ‘Oruc Reis,’ he said that the waves had pushed it into the Aegean.”

At another point—and with the exhortation “let’s not forget these things, let’s speak up”—he spoke at length, in fact, about the issue of integrity: “They emptied the coffers, taking even the doorknobs with them, while we left 37 billion,” and “of course there are rules regarding spending; the question is, for whose benefit are you exhausting the margins you have?”

Victory in the first round

In this context, he specified his party’s electoral goal, emphasizing that:

• Mr. Mitsotakis fears the second Sunday. 97% of those polled speak of a corrupt country, 70% want political change, and “50-something percent” say they were better off in 2019.
• Since the average Greek citizen has realized which political force can defeat Mr. Mitsotakis, I urge you to do so in the first round of voting, not the second.
• The government says the real dilemma is stability or instability. Is it stability when your paycheck runs out in the first 15 days? Is it stability when we’re drowning in corruption scandals? If that’s stability, what is instability?”
• The dilemma of the upcoming elections, whenever they take place, is stagnation or progress, corruption or integrity. And there is a possibility for a progressive government.