The “smell” of the elections causes premature and prolonged “dizziness” in the parties

By Penelope Galliou

Despite repeated assurances by government officials that the polls for the 2023 elections are months away, “at the end or shortly before the end of the constitutional expiration of the current government’s term” after the prime minister’s infamous statement from Kallithea that “it smells like an election” the parties now operate with purely pre-election rhythms and rules.

Tours, interviews, gatherings and events outline an early and seemingly long pre-election period that has nothing to envy from the official pre-election periods.

On the contrary, a long pre-election period has its disadvantages as, despite assurances to the contrary, there is a risk that the government’s work will slow down or even “freeze” in some cases, that the polarization will poison the political climate and the public debate and in after all, the damage that will occur will concern everyone, both parties and citizens.

In this context, probably after the interpretation given by many to the Prime Minister’s phrase to hasten the elections, Ministers and government MPs are quick to entertain any impressions created and insist on refuting scenarios for an early appeal to the polls, pointing to spring. “Electoral and political time is not weighed based on small party expediencies. We have received an order, we said from the first moment that the elections will be held at the end of 4 years. 2023 is coming. Nothing has changed in the electoral and political orientation. The elections will be held near the end of the 4 years. Nothing has changed,” the government representative told SKAI television.

In Koumoundourou, however, the staff are on pre-election vigilance and readiness, estimating that SYRIZA will be able to form a progressive government even from the first elections of simple proportionality, with Alexis Tsipras, during the meeting of the party’s political secretariat, stating that he is sure that “the battle of the elections will be won by SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, with a realistic program that will improve the daily life of the large social majority” and added:

“Because the political change will not only be based on the deconstruction of the Mitsotakis government but also on our alternative plan.” He also announced that “in the next period and before the Christmas holidays, we will have to approve the main body of the SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance ballots, as well as the pre-election program”.

After the Prime Minister who declared from London that the independence of the ND is possible in the second elections, the government is ready to fight this battle, without, however, closing the windows of cooperation.

“We believe that there should be a stable, continuous, consistent government. If our people are placed in a position of self-reliance we will serve them, this is our main political goal, if they place us in a position where we have to seek political collaborations we will do so. The Constitution does not provide for dead ends”, commented the Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis on SKAI radio.

However, scenarios give and take. The exercise of PULSE and SKAI on the basis of the last poll with the assumption that the second elections of the strengthened proportionality will result in a five-party Parliament and the percentage of parties outside the Parliament will rise to 11% shows that the independence of the ND is possible with a percentage 37.5%. With this scenario, ND occupies 153 seats, SYRIZA 84, PASOK 36, KKE 16 and Hellenic Solution 11.

And yes, the prime minister holds, in terms of the time of the elections, “both the melon and the knife”, but the reduction of electionology to a key issue of the political scene involves the risk of “paralysis” of politics itself.

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