“We were founded to fill the very large void in the progressive spectrum, not to cooperate with forces that we believe have run their course,” stressed Alexis Tsipras, once again ruling out any collaboration between ELAS and existing parties—and, above all, with SYRIZA.
In fact, responding to a related question during his interview on ALPHA TV, he clarified that if post-election alliances are not formed after the first round of voting, then we will head to the polls again.
Specifically regarding the possibility of a pre-election alliance with SYRIZA, he replied: “I’m not throwing a party to invite whoever I want to my house; we’re making a new effort for the sake of society. From the start, I stated that there would be no exclusion, but I set two conditions: first, this effort will not originate within Parliament (that is, sitting members of Parliament will not “transfer” to ELAS), and second, we have no reserved positions for anyone. “When the time comes, our party’s governing bodies will decide on the candidates, treating everyone equally.”
When asked why he left SYRIZA and founded the new party, Mr. Tsipras, after noting that for three years the country had been governed without an opposition and thus by an increasingly arrogant government, replied:
“The SYRIZA chapter has come to a close, and I have begun a new one of my own—with a new party, new faces, the same values, but with a different approach to how we do politics and how we will rally broader progressive forces, not just on the far left.”
He even appeared satisfied with the party’s poll performance so far (“in our early stages, it seems we’ve managed to achieve this”), adding: “The fact that in just 26 days we have tens of thousands of members, a 350-member National Council, and a strong team of 50 leaders (sector heads) with their own backgrounds, academic expertise, and political competence, is in itself a statement of readiness and governability.”
On this point, he reiterated that “I did not return to chase poll numbers; I want to be useful to the country, to a governing Left and not a Left of protest.”
That is why he highlighted as a positive development the fact that the polling gap between ELAS and New Democracy has narrowed to single digits, rather than the large double-digit margins seen after 2016.
When asked about the question that will dominate the debate going forward—namely, where the money will come from for his party’s proposals and, specifically, for its tax policy—Mr. Tsipras replied:
- The fiscal capacity of the Greek economy after 2019 is such that there is no need to raise taxes to implement fair proposals. However, we consider it necessary to foster a climate of restoring justice in Greek society. If we want to address issues such as the demographic crisis, hospitals, schools, and the young people who need to stay here, there must be a redistribution of wealth from those with very high incomes. This will be achieved through a “patriotic contribution”—which will not be voluntary—targeted at the top 1%, meaning the very wealthy and highly profitable companies. We will discuss these points in detail at the Thessaloniki International Fair.
- Before we turn to taxes, we must consider how to grow the “pie.” The government missed a major opportunity with the Recovery Fund. Our proposal is to create a National Recovery Fund. A shift in the tax policy mix is necessary to put an end to this unequal reality.
- A key element is tackling corruption, because we will find the money through our integrity.