“I was wondering: if we have this many people here several months before the election, what will happen when we officially enter the campaign period?” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who spoke with members of the public in Vrilissia’s Analipseos Square.
He referred to projects that are under way and stressed that the best is yet to come, not just for Vrilissia and Attica, but for the whole country.
Pointing out that the international situation is difficult, the world is becoming more complex and we are moving from one crisis to another, he said a government that keeps a steady hand at the helm and knows what course to chart takes on particular significance.
He referred to unrest in other European capitals, saying that here we had seen students and teachers demonstrate peacefully and voice their concerns, but that we had not returned to the scenes of 2012 and 2015, and would never go back, however much some people might wish it.
“For all these years, we have fought very hard to leave the crisis years behind,” he said.
He stressed that anyone who believes Greece can be a Gallic village, exempt from developments, is profoundly mistaken. But he noted that the government is now able to provide practical support to society, easing the burden on Greek households and, above all, helping those who are truly in need.
He reiterated that everything that has been achieved and everything being done is within our means, and said he was proud that Greece is now an example for others in Europe to follow.
He added that we are now in a position to chart a course for Greece in 2030 that will allow us to turn what we have managed to secure into a dividend for every Greek woman and every Greek man.
He said the current moment was an important one for reflecting on how vital it is to have a strong government, and how much harder things would be if the government had to consult smaller parties over every little thing.
New Democracy is the only party with a clear plan for the future and the only party able to engage with the major challenges ahead, the prime minister also said.
He pointed in particular to the fact that opposition parties did not vote yesterday for the bill on children’s mental health, and was especially critical of PASOK.
“An outright majority is the only way forward—not for the party, but for the country,” the prime minister declared from the podium.
Greece is safe today, our armed forces are strong, and our foreign policy has enhanced our country’s standing; we will stay the course, he stressed.
He also made special mention of the savings account—the “piggy bank”—that will be set up for every child, with the state contributing.
He went on to stress that the government would not stop working and would continue to do so consistently and effectively, so that it could look people in the eye and everyone could compare what the government pledged in 2023 with what it has delivered.
He also referred to the results of efforts to crack down on tax evasion.
“We will continue with this agenda, and I want to say to all traditional New Democracy supporters”—here he briefly digressed to include, as he put it, those who joined the party later and those who will vote for New Democracy for the first time—“I’m no magician, I can’t perform miracles, but I have the same energy and the same determination, with more grey hair and more experience, to move the country forward together, to where it deserves to be, and to promise a better tomorrow for every Greek woman and every Greek man,” the prime minister said in closing.
Earlier, Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the flood-protection works in the Patima area of Vrilissia.
Before the prime minister, Vrilissia Mayor Giannis Pisimisis was first to take the podium for a brief address, followed by Attica Regional Governor Nikos Hardalias.
Also attending the rally in Vrilissia were, among others, New Democracy parliamentary spokesman Dimitris Kairidis, the party’s secretary, Konstantinos Kyranakis, and government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.