For the need for political change on May 21 with the SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance first party, for a government with its eyes on the many, said the press representative of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, Popi Tsapanidouspeaking at the “STAR FORUM” conference of “Star Central Greece”.

“Mr. Mitsotakis has shown for years that his priority is to serve the interests of the few and the powerful. The social majority, the vulnerable groups, the middle class, are not his target”, he pointed out.

“We see that the current government refuses to reduce it VAT on food, refuses to reduce the excise tax on fuel. The result is that additional tax revenues from VAT, for example, are converted into market passes and other such measures that are crumbs in people’s pockets. That’s why we see a middle class being squeezed, the vulnerable falling even lower, social inequalities becoming huge”, said Popi Tsapanidou.

“Our priority is the many. This can cause conflicts. But we will not collide to tear down. As Alexis Tsipras says, our goal is to create. Our goal is to ensure social cohesion. That the perception that the state is an enemy should gradually leave us. To become an ally in our lives, to be by our side in every difficulty that happens”, he explained.

When asked about the tragedy of Tempe and the political responsibilities of the government, he underlined: “when you are a government of four years and we reach the point where two trains collide in Greece, you do not share the responsibilities with others”. “Whatever problems there were before, it’s four years of government. They could deal with them. Especially when they talk about a staff state. In this staff state, didn’t ‘red bells’ ring for so many years about the situation in the railway?”, said Popi Tsapanidou.

“We live today in a regime that has lack of freedom, fear, in a regime that citizens cannot make a month. The government does not support the citizens, not only to get by today, but also to think about a perspective for their lives”, he underlined.

“People need to breathe in a state, which we pay for. We pay taxes, contributions and have one YOU unmatched. During the pandemic, we had the government telling us that everything is fine, that we have positive indicators, that people are not more at risk of dying when they are intubated outside the ICU”, he noted.

Referring to the previous SYRIZA government, she emphasized: “this government took the country out of the memorandums, regulated the debt – so that we can be at peace for many years that we don’t have to pay the loan installments every three or so times -, created the cushion of the 37 billion, on which the Mitsotakis government relied”. “At the same time, when we came out of supervision, in 2018, in 2019 we had record investments. We came out of an adventure that the self-sufficient governments of the past had taken us out of, which ended up bankrupting the country”, emphasized Popi Tsapanidou.

“I think that today the times are such that we all have to fight for political change to come, first of all by going to the ballot box,” he said.

“After these four years, the image of a new independent Mitsotakis government causes great concern. Their arrogance has already turned red, they feel completely uncontrollable”, he said characteristically.

Reiterating the position of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance that it is possible to form a progressive government of cooperation in the elections with simple proportionality, he noted: “the day after the ballot box we will discuss with the progressive forces and everyone will be judged to what extent they take responsibility so that the country in a continuous rally of electoral contests”.