“The fundamental choices facing voters have already been put to the Greek people by New Democracy and the prime minister himself. It must be made absolutely clear that parliamentary elections are decided in a single ballot; there is no second round”, Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos said on the programme “Good Morning Greece” on ANT-1.
“Politics is about comparisons. On one side, we offer the guarantee of stability, security and a record of constructive work; on the other are those who say the solution for the country is for Mitsotakis to go. We have 6-7 months until the election to discuss everything calmly and rationally, so that voters understand their choices. They will be called on to make a decision, and they must be fully aware of their responsibility for what happens next”, he added.
Mr Theodorikakos stressed that polls are one thing and elections another: in polls, people give their opinion, but may ultimately vote for something else.
“An election is an election, and voters should not feel that they can vote for something today and vote again tomorrow. The results will be very different from what we see in the polls today, and the decision ultimately taken by a significant section of society that has not yet made up its mind will be crucial”, he said.
He said that as long as the second- and third-largest parties are arguing over which one is second, the opposition has no credible alternative proposal for government.
“We are presenting a record of credible, constructive work and policies that guarantee the country’s security and future. In the coming months, we will present voters with our programme and commitments for what we will do over the next four years. I repeat that elections are not an experiment; they concern the future of our country”, the Development Minister added.
Mr Theodorikakos also referred to measures introduced in the market that have delivered tangible results. He said food inflation was negative for three months in the preceding period, while the latest reading was 1.4%, well below headline inflation.
He stressed that the biggest problem was the cost of housing, with rents having doubled over the past 7-8 years, and said further measures were needed. He also highlighted the cap on profit margins, a measure no other European country had adopted, and the €25 million already collected through strict market inspections.
“We are working closely with the Independent Authority for Consumer Protection and Market Supervision, which is doing very serious work and delivering tangible results. Its work has shown how necessary it was to establish the authority”, he said.
He referred to the National Price Reduction Initiative, whose second phase runs until the end of the year and involves more than 1,100 product codes. Further measures are also expected for the Christmas and New Year holidays, bringing very significant price cuts on essential items for every Greek table.
He went on to note that more than €150 million had so far been recovered for the public purse from investment projects under Development Laws in previous years.
“This is your money, the money of Greek taxpayers. We are examining every case one by one to recover every last euro and put that money towards genuine productive investment that will create hundreds of new jobs”, he said.
Mr Theodorikakos announced that three new schemes would be introduced in the immediate future, exclusively for small and medium-sized enterprises , focusing on internationalisation, social entrepreneurship and modern technologies, with particular emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence. He also announced that €681 million would be made available to small and medium-sized enterprises by 2032 through the Social Climate Fund.
In closing, he said “we want an economy that is much more productive and competitive, and that offers people better wages and better prospects. We want our young people to have better living conditions, and that is why we are introducing significant measures”.