“On TV, we often see reruns of series, such as the legendary Retire, and they’re a huge hit in terms of viewership. That doesn’t mean that whatever happens on Greek television also happens in politics.” This was how government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis commented on Antonis Samaras’s two posts on TikTok.
“I don’t think the personal agendas of any of us are of concern to the people watching us right now. For politics to be effective, it must have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and it must offer solutions while taking into account both the present and the future. Yes, we must not forget the past, but heaven forbid that every time one of us had complaints or objections, we would resort to a personal, political move—then we wouldn’t be talking about New Democracy, but about a small, marginal party—the kind we usually see on the left. Here we’re talking about a major political movement where, of course, there are differing voices, but at the end of the day, we see the big picture. And the goal is to strengthen the party, not to weaken it. “I firmly maintain—and I’ve said this before—that I do not want to engage in a constant back-and-forth with a man who has risen to the office of prime minister, and whom I, along with many others, stood by when he was president of New Democracy,” he noted.
Regarding the surveillance of MEP Stelios Kouloglou using malicious software while he was a member of the PEGA Committee, Mr. Marinakis emphasized that “the government is unaware of anything and has no involvement whatsoever. If Mr. Kouloglou believes there is something amiss regarding a personal matter of his, the only recourse is the judicial system.”
The government spokesperson announced that Nikos Androulakis’s topical question, to be precise, will be answered by the prime minister on Friday in Parliament and continued: “We are trying to prove that the easy path touted by the opposition leads nowhere. If only there were a button the government could press to lower prices. We’re not just describing what we’ll provide, but also the cost and where we’ll find the money. We’re working to increase citizens’ income. Inflation remains a huge issue, but the point isn’t the observations—it’s what solutions each side proposes.”
“He’s anything but a prankster”
Regarding the issue of National Security Secretary Th. Dokos, Pavlos Marinakis noted:
“If there is one major problem beyond the security system that doesn’t concern just our country, it’s the ease with which certain opposition parties and a segment of the media believe, without a second thought, those who claim to be Russian pranksters—who are anything but pranksters, if one were to examine their activities even a little more closely. In order to demand the resignation of a government official, they uncritically adopt whatever is said by those who claim to be Russian pranksters. Consider the difference between how the Dokou case was handled and how other countries dealt with similar incidents—especially those involving leaders of other nations. It should be noted that no sensitive information was leaked from that specific conversation.”
Regarding today’s event organized by Tsipras’s party on corruption, Mr. Marinakis said:
“No one feels sorry for us. The press conference should have taken place yesterday regarding corruption, so they could apologize on behalf of their president for the divisive, shameful referendum and the 120 billion that—just like yesterday—he saddled us with for no reason at all. If Tsipras hadn’t done a complete about-face and if the New Democracy and PASOK MPs hadn’t voted in favor, none of us would be able to speak today while still in the eurozone. Greece was at the bottom in terms of growth rates; the Tsipras government raised more than 30 taxes; 560,000 people have found jobs from 2019 to the present. Until then, Europe was experiencing a boom in growth, but since the pandemic, one crisis has followed another.”
Regarding Tsipras’s proposal to abolish the national college entrance exams, the government spokesperson commented:
“This proposal is the epitome of populism and a complete mockery of the country’s students, primarily because Mr. Tsipras isn’t offering us his alternative proposal. He’s seizing on something we all agree on—that the system needs improvements—and throwing in a catchy headline to make it sound appealing, just like all populists do.”
Regarding the NATO Summit in Ankara, where the prime minister is traveling tomorrow, Mr. Marinakis said that no meetings are scheduled with Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.