Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched a fierce attack on Alexis Tsipras, who had called him the “high priest of corruption”, in an interview with Alpha radio.
“At the Thessaloniki International Fair in 2023, I spoke about the need to enforce the rule of law everywhere, recognising deep-rooted problems. We have achieved a great deal; cases that have come to light recently have been under investigation by the relevant authorities for many years. Political will is also needed. We chose to tackle the problem. Our record is our answer,” the prime minister said.
“I imagine Mr Tsipras does not believe there was no lawbreaking before 2019. He had no interest in dealing with these cases; he passed the Paraskevopoulos law, which released serious criminals from prison, and kept Parliament open after calling the election so he could change the Criminal Code.
At some point he must explain why he kept it open, what political debts he was paying off with that decision. We are all judged by our actions and the results of our policies… Ever since I was elected, Mr Tsipras and his mouthpieces have continually attacked me and my family. They have failed. I am used to such personal attacks and pay them little attention.”
Asked about the third renewal of the term of AADE governor Mr Pitsilis and the arrests of the authority’s employees, the prime minister said: “AADE has done important work. I will not tell you that all its employees are honest by definition; the authorities identify those who are not. My instruction is that every case should be pursued to the end.”
Asked about the midterm elections in the US, Mr Mitsotakis said: “There could be a major change in the Congress and a rejection of its policies; this is mainly a domestic matter for the US. Greek-American relations have great depth, and any change in Congress will not affect them. We are prepared for every eventuality.”
On the crisis in the Gulf, he said that “no one can rule out a third round of fighting. A resumption of military operations would obviously do nothing to ease oil prices or tackle the cost of living. We need to put some buffers in place against these high prices. It is a relief,” he said, adding that the government was considering further extending restrictions on Airbnb and the possibility of an extension for electric taxis.
The prime minister announced a cut in VAT on period products (menstrual products) from 24% to 13%, bringing them into line with nappies and infant formula. “It will be a small reduction, but a step towards social and gender justice. We will also look at pilot schemes to provide free period products to young girls in disadvantaged areas, offering additional financial relief for an unavoidable need. It will take effect from 1/1/2027,” he said, and announced targeted VAT cuts from 2028 onwards.
On fuel tax, he said: “We cut the tax on heating oil by 40 cents. There is also a subsidy for diesel and petrol. The state collects €3bn to €4bn a year in fuel taxes. To cut them, we would have to impose other taxes.”
Asked whether New Democracy (ND) might fail to win an outright majority in the election, Mr Mitsotakis said: “ND’s goal is an outright majority. We have sought one twice and achieved it, with results far higher than the polls predicted. I see no scope for cooperation with any parties, either because we rule them out, as we do all the parties to our right, or because PASOK, the potential coalition partner for ND, has taken a decision at its congress that it will never govern with ND. It has not, however, said it will not govern with the others. If Androulakis comes third, what will he do? It is more likely that ND will win an outright majority than that Mr Androulakis will come first.”
“If we cannot work with PASOK on banning children from social media, you can see how difficult cooperation would be. Mr Androulakis’s PASOK is increasingly reminiscent of Mr Tsipras, who is currently fighting to come second. An outright majority is the only way forward. In any case, we will respect the will of the people. Ultimately, they will decide how the country should be governed. ND guarantees stability and the conditions for the country to move forward.”
He said his priority for the new four-year term was “to keep the economy growing so that wages rise, taxes fall and incomes increase”, and set an average wage of €1,800 as a target for 2030.
On the electricity interconnector, he said briefly: “It will go ahead. The Greek authorities will grant the permit, and we will discuss the rest in due course.”
Commenting on Kostas Karamanlis, he said: “Why should I expel Karamanlis? I entered politics in 2004, under Karamanlis. I respect and honour all party leaders and prime ministers; only they know how difficult the decisions they have to make are. I listen to Kostas Karamanlis’s views, respect them and always hear them with great attention, even though I do not always agree.”
On Antonis Samaras, he said: “He himself does not remember how he handled Turkey while he was prime minister. He engaged in dialogue and spoke with Erdogan, and at the time there were airspace violations and the occupation of Cyprus. He was right to speak with Erdogan and make statements of friendship and praise for the Turkish president. Former prime ministers should be mindful, once they are far removed from power, to remember what they themselves did.”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that “my opponents are the problems, complacency and, at times, behaviour that irritates the public. After 7.5 years, there is a sense of fatigue, and we must be twice as careful about our conduct. It is never just one person’s fault, but when tempers flare, you may be tempted to say more than you should. The instruction I have given our officials is that when people see politicians arguing on television, they change the channel.”