Tsipras: Form a government in the first round of voting, or else “a mandate for a clear solution in the second round”

As he explained during yesterday’s television interview (on “Alpha”): “If we come in first in the upcoming national elections, we will seek to and explore the possibility of forming a government based on our program, without compromise—a program of political change. And if that proves impossible, we will go to a second round of elections to seek a mandate for a clear solution from the Greek people.”

In light of this position, Mr. Tsipras reiterated his refusal to enter into pre-election alliances with other parties: “ELAS was founded to fill a significant gap in the progressive spectrum, not to cooperate with existing forces that we believe have run their course.”

Interestingly, the interview coincided with (yet another) meeting at the Koumoundourou headquarters of the Political Secretariat, focused on the “future” of SYRIZA after its Central Committee decided not to run in the elections in opposition to ELAS. Mr. Tsipras’s categorical clarification of his intentions “stunned” the party officials who continued (or continue…) to hope for a central-level collaboration with ELAS, and it is telling that most of them were… glued to their screens as they listened to their former president rule out any collaboration with his former party

He himself, after all, was “bluntly honest,” as his enemies and opponents note, and this was evident from two of his statements:

-I’m not picking up where I left off. If I wanted to, I could. I’m starting a new chapter with a new party, new faces, the same values, but a different approach to how we do politics. With the need to rally forces from the broader democratic progressive spectrum, not just on the left of the Left.

I did not return to active politics just to rack up poll numbers; we want to be the governing Left, not the protest Left.

-For three years, the country was essentially governed by a single party (New Democracy) that dominated the political scene without a strong opposition. And that is not good for democracy; it is not good for the political system or for the government itself, whatever its composition may be. Even if it had the best of intentions—which it did not. It appears that the Mitsotakis government has become much more arrogant, lacking strong oversight and opposition.

The “dig” at the opposition vacuum certainly also concerned PASOK, though he avoided making specific references to the party, beyond an indirect mention of the possibility of post-election collaborations.

Redistribution, Not New Taxes

For the rest, Mr. Tsipras reiterated his team’s central philosophy regarding “where a government led by him would find the money” to fulfill its commitments.

Aside from the issue of corruption (“we will find the money through our integrity”), he explained: “The fiscal capacity of the Greek economy, from 2019 onward, creates no need for tax increases in order to meet the goals we have announced so far.

The Greek economy is outperforming expectations, generating surpluses—beyond what is required—of around 6 billion euros. Therefore, there is fiscal space to implement policies that support society, through a different policy mix, without taxing middle-income, low-income, or even high-income earners.”

Meanwhile, emphasizing the need for social justice, he referred to his well-known position on a patriotic contribution (“it will not be voluntary”), saying: “There must, in some way, be a redistribution from the wealthy to society. This redistribution, therefore, will not be achieved by taxing swimming pools or speedboats, but through the patriotic contribution. It will apply to the 1%, not the 99%. It will apply to the very wealthy and the highly profitable companies.”

He also confirmed that the detailed government program of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) and its specifics will be presented at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (TIF) in September.