By Antonis Anzoletou

History has shown that conducting a debate it was never a simple affair.

The representatives of the parties always appear at the beginning all positive, they meet and set their conditions which are usually different: thematic sections, time for answers, how the heads of the parties will be set up, communication or questions between them and of course the central coordinator and the journalists who will take part.

The equation always includes the smaller parties who legitimately want to participate in order to promote their positions. The devil is always in the details.

For May 21st Alexis Tsipras has long requested the holding of the teleconference with the government side stating that everything will be examined in due course.

PASOK has declared that such a discussion cannot be limited only between New Democracy and SYRIZA.

The truth is one thing: whoever is in front, whether in government or in the position of official opposition, has no reason to enter this process.

And from there begins a long discussion that usually ends in a debate about the debate.

The last clash of political leaders before the elections took place in September 2015 between him Alexis Tsipras and Evangelos Meimarakis.

Another teleconference was held with the participation of all the political leaders. Alexis Tsipras, Vangelis Meimarakis, Stavros Theodorakis, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, Panagiotis Lafazanis, Fofi Gennimata and Panos Kammenos were present.

The first debate of political leaders took place between Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Andreas Papandreou and Charilaos Florakis in Panteion University, in 1990.

It may have been a long way from modern telefighting, but it was the beginning.

During the pre-election period of 1993, Andreas Papandreou refused to participate in a televised debate with Prime Minister Constantinos Mitsotakis and New Democracy took advantage of his refusal, presenting with a corresponding televised advertisement (empty chair).

From there, a series of televised clashes followed.

In mid-September 1996, the Costas Simitis and Miltiadis Evert they clashed in the TV studio.

Each leader had 2 minutes to answer questions without addressing his political opponent.

In 2000, Kostas Simitis faced Kostas Karamanlis.

In the 2004 elections a debate was held with the participation of all the political leaders: George Papandreou, Kostas Karamanlis, Aleka Papariga, Nikos Konstantopoulos and Dimitris Tsovolas took part in a rather lively debate.

In 2007, in the shadow of the deadly fires in the Peloponnese, Costas Karamanlis, George Papandreou, Aleka Papariga, Alekos Alavanos, George Karatzaferis and Stelios Papathemelis faced off on television. They were not allowed to talk to each other, they just answered the journalists’ questions.

In 2009, two debates took place.

In one, all the political leaders participated, in which Alexis Tsipras took part for the first time as its leader COALITION.

In the second, the two contenders for power, Kostas Karamanlis and George Papandreou, fought.

Are there winners or losers from the debate? Usually not.

All parties make their own assessments and see only positively the presence of their leaders. It couldn’t be any other way…

The inflexible terms that exist for freer debate leave little room for challenging a political leader.