By Antonis Anzoletou

Those who had predicted that the “political knives” would come out next week for the accident in Tempe were wrong. The message of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the Cabinet, the conversation that Alexis Tsipras had with railway workers, but also the first placement of Christos Spirtzis after the tragedy in Thessaly ignited the blood. In the scene of conflict have entered the data that the parties receive from the focus groups as well as the leaks from the first measurements that are carried out.

The former Minister of Transport speaking to SKAI rejected potential responsibilities of SYRIZA in the period 2015-2019 for the deficiencies in the rail network that contributed to the accident. “The accident would not have happened if what was in place until 2019 and 2020 in the OSE. It is tragic to say that there was a head-on collision on a double railway line”, he emphasized, adding that “the tram that I saw might not be safe, I closed it”.

Mr. Spirtzis defended the signing of a supplementary contract for the remote control system made by SYRIZA, attributing the delays in the completion of the project to the original contract of the Samaras-Venizelos government and to the inaction of the current government. Giannis Oikonomou accused him of cynicism and pharisaism.

“The implementation of the infamous contract for the period 2017-2019 had completely stopped. He must have an excess of audacity to claim that the railway was working “like a clock” during SYRIZA and was dismantled by the ND Government”. The government representative invited Christos Spirtzis to a cross-examination with Giorgos Gerapetritis at the Parliament’s Production and Trade Committee in order to “capture the real situation”.

Christos Spirtzis pointed out that the remote control system was never built after the 2019 fire and called the claim that the SYRIZA government did not deliver 68% of the system a lie.

From the blue faction they made it clear that they weren’t going to let anything slip responding point by point to the interview of Christos Spirtzis. In relation to the claim that 68% of the project was delivered, but Alstom did not sign the studies from Piraeus St., noting that the contract, which started at the end of 2014, while it should have been completed by 2016, was developed until 2017 partially. There had been a delivery of 32% of the deliverable, which unfortunately, however, “had very serious errors, as a result a percentage of no more than 18% was that which was genuinely operational in those two years.”

The “conflict” is expected to be fierce, as the information states that Alexis Tsipras is preparing to carry out an all-out intervention next week. In any case, the official opposition’s argument for the government’s fall in the polls is that the citizens cannot accept any excuse in relation to the railway since the New Republic was at the end of its four-year term.

It remains unknown how soon the conflict between the two contenders for power will be transferred to the Parliament. Will Alexis Tsipras, by taking some parliamentary initiative, attempt to request answers in the Plenary from Kyriakos Mitsotakis? “Everything in due time”, the official opposition answers, while the government also appears ready to accept any challenge.

Either submitting a question or requesting a pre-day discussion. On Monday, however, the Conference of Presidents will meet and decide when the Production and Trade Committee will convene next week. The first “bra de fer” between the government and the opposition is expected to take place there.