The date of the elections and the dilemmas of 2023

By Antonis Anzoletou

The conversation at the wells in the Presidential Palace revolved around election time. The political leadership wished Katerina Sakellaropoulou for the new year, but what concerned the attendees the most is when Kyriakos Mitsotakis will decide to hold the polls.

The possibility that he will appeal to the popular verdict in April is estimated to be the most likely scenario, and Palm Sunday is still the most likely date. The prime minister may not have linked the increase in the minimum wage, which will come a month earlier – ie on April 1st – to the elections, but it is clear that the scene that has been set constantly refers to a countdown. Kyriakos Mitsotakis explained to journalists on Sunday morning that his choice is based on the fact that the tourist season starts in April and there are enough people in the tourism industry.

THE conversation he had with Dimitris Koutsoubas at the Presidential Palace was more revealing. When asked by the General Secretary of the KKE what he decided in relation to the elections, Kyriakos Mitsotakis reportedly told him that “after April everything is open”.

The parties have a marathon ahead of them, as they have to go through a hot political five months. The second election is considered almost a foregone conclusion, based on the polls so far, so by May the country will be in an election fever. The simple analogy creates new facts and a new dilemma to which the voters will be asked to answer: “Self-reliant governments or cooperative governments?”

The political forces are invited to show their endurance with the economy, precision, the energy crisis, Greek-Turkish, surveillance and Qatar Gate to dominate the next period in the debates in the Parliament, in the public debate in the media, and also in the tours of the leaders. Between ND and SYRIZA there will be a comparison of programs and deeds of the two leaders. 2015-2019 Vs 2019-2023. PASOK wants to drive a “wedge” into bipartisanship and KKE, Hellenic Solution and MeRA25 to be strengthened.

Smaller formations will try to take advantage of the first election battle and save the anger and frustration that exists in a society tired of the pandemic and the energy crisis. The conflict is expected to be big, the “hard rock” inevitable and the personal attacks many and in high tones.

Once the April 9 scenario is confirmed, this means that in the first ten days of March we are expected to have the dissolution of the Parliament in order to officially announce the pre-election period. The environment in which Kyriakos Mitsotakis will appeal to the popular verdict will not be clear-cut. No one can yet know where the war in Ukraine will go with Russia continuing to put pressure on international fuel prices.

The developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the increased geopolitical tensions concern the Greek side and two more events are considered pivotal for the developments.

Before the election in Greece, on February 5th, very crucial polls will be held in Cyprus, while at the beginning of the summer, Tayyip Erdoğan will once again attempt to be elected president of Turkey. And the political developments in the neighboring country may follow those of Greece, however no one knows how much Erdogan will attempt to “pull the rope” by causing an artificial crisis that will “push” him in the polls.

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