Kyriakos Mitsotakis is focusing his fire on three political rivals, with the upcoming general election in view.In his sights are Alexis Tsipras, Nikos Androulakis and Antonis Samaras, against whom he appears determined to turn up the rhetoric even further.
The prime minister's radio interview with Alpha 989, his speech at an event marking two years since the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime began operating, and targeted interventions by the Maximos Mansion all reflect the government's choice of an aggressive political line, at every opportunity and in response to every… provocation, as hard-edged pre-election choices begin to enter public debate.
The first target of the prime minister's criticism is Alexis Tsipras. Mr Mitsotakis directly questioned the credibility of his project, commenting pointedly that rebranding “is not something entirely new; it is a product repositioning” and that the product in question is now “very damaged”.
He also brought the SYRIZA government's record back into focus, from the 2015 Paraskevopoulos law, which “let all the ‘serious’ criminals out of prison”, to changes to the Criminal Code, seeking to compare the record of the 2015-19 SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government with the current New Democracy government's approach to tackling crime and corruption.
The prime minister sent the message that uncovering and dismantling criminal networks are the result of political will, while taking aim at the Tsipras government’s record on corruption, funds and auctions. His question about the “debts Mr Tsipras is paying” also stirred up controversy and prompted a response from the former prime minister. The aim is to cast doubt on the ability of the head of the Hellenic Police to present himself as a credible alternative, with his record in government as the main line of attack.
“Taking people for fools”
As for his stance towards Nikos Androulakis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis questioned the costing of PASOK's proposals and accused him of “taking people for fools”, effectively equating him with Alexis Tsipras.
The prime minister placed particular emphasis on the main opposition party's position on the possibility of post-election coalitions. Asking what the PASOK leader would do if his party came third, Mr Mitsotakis is calling on Harilaou Trikoupi to make clear not only what it is proposing, but also on what terms it sees the day after the election.
The equation appears even more difficult on the front involving Antonis Samaras. The dispute with him has different characteristics, as it is essentially a bitter “civil war”; however, the former prime minister's interventions, particularly on foreign policy, are no longer going unanswered by the Maximos Mansion.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis recalled the Samaras government's choices on Greek-Turkish relations, noting that the same Turkish claims were being made then, and channels of communication with Ankara were also open. The remark drew a fierce response from the former prime minister.
The three open fronts outlined above have different starting points, but converge on a common objective: the choice facing voters in the next election. Government officials will put it emphatically on the table, seeking to compare their record with that of their opponents and hoping to highlight what they argue is a clear advantage, reflected across the opinion polls.