By Antonis Anzoletou

SYRIZA’s strategy has been specific lately. He deconstructs the government’s announcements and benefits one by one and at the same time contrasts his own program. And Alexis Tsipras appears confident, without asterisks, of the primacy of his party that will lead to progressive governance. He also drew this line during the interview he gave to ALPHA in which he launched an attack on the government for the one-off allowance for pensioners. He spoke of old party tipping logic. He reminded that the party’s program includes the payment of retroactive payments of 2.5 billion euros in three installments, as well as the 13th pension that SYRIZA will restore when it assumes power.

Regarding the auctions and the decision of the Supreme Court, he noted: “We will restore the protection of the first residence. First we will set a regulatory framework. It is not possible at this moment that servicers who have bought a securitized loan at 15% of the value, want through the process of auctions and pressure, to get back 100%. This can not be done. We are not saying that the guarantees should expire. To have a reasonable profit. But it should be possible to prioritize the arrangements through an easy platform with criteria that will be widely accepted.” He added that for those who are not covered by this procedure, there should be the possibility of appealing to the courts, as with the Katseli law. The detailed program will be presented in the coming days.

Low tones with PASOK

In Koumundourou, they do not want the conflict with PASOK to continue, as in this way it blurs the message of progressive governance. Trying to lighten the mood, Mr. Tsipras pointed out that on the subject of wiretapping, Nikos Androulakis showed that he is not being blackmailed. “He raised the issue, went to the European Court, filed lawsuits. Others are the ones who did the “duck”. The ministers of the New Democracy”. He made it clear, however, that he politically disagrees with the fact that he does not rule out cooperation with New Democracy, which had put him under surveillance. And this is an area where the official opposition is expected to intensify the pressure on Harilaou Trikoupi as the polls approach.

Regarding how the parties will move in the next elections, he predicted that it will not be a purely ideological battle: “The critical stakes in these elections have to do with people’s lives,” he said. Arguing, the president of SYRIZA added that “the battle was more ideological in 2019. On the table were national issues, the Macedonian issue with our disagreements. Now again the stake goes to the social, to survival and to Democracy”. The leader of the official opposition spoke of “elections of big surprises” which will be decided by who goes to the polls pointing to the great dominance of his party among young people. He also commented that “Syriza was accused of having a welfare policy, but it gave to the vulnerable, to the weak. Today the middle class survives on vouchers and this is a supposedly liberal government.”

Attendance high on the agenda

Mr. Tsipras defended the choice of SYRIZA to abstain from the votes in the Parliament stressing that it was an institutional move. He indicated that his parliamentary group would not be present at the polls in a symbolic act of protest. “There hasn’t been an explanation why half the political system was being watched. We have essentially destroyed the rule of law and we still haven’t received an answer”, he said, raising the tone on this specific issue.

The meeting of the Political Secretariat for the party’s ballot papers is expected to be convened from Saturday onwards. According to the plan so far, Alexis Tsipras will tour Karditsa on Friday.