The president of SYRIZA-PS, Alexis Tsipras, launched a severe attack on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis whom he accused of “Trumpism”, speaking at the meeting of the Central Committee of the party, clarifying at the same time: “We are not going to enter the arena of toxicity and division under any circumstances which the ND of Mr. Mitsotakis seeks”.

Mr. Tsipras described in dark colors the reality that, according to him, the Greek society is experiencing during four years of Mitsotakis’ rule, criticizing at the same time: “With the precision that preys on the many and the profligacy enjoyed by the few. With the dissolution of the NHS and the pandemic’s tolls for thousands of human lives that could have been saved. With the abuse of the rule of law, the eavesdropping and the parastatal, that their headquarters had been set up in the Maximos Palace. Partition wall with the office of Mr. Mitsotakis. With the billions of direct assignments, the blue invasion of all public organizations, the practices of Patsis and others? With the middle class, that Mr. Mitsotakis would put her in the living room and humiliate her to live on the voucher. With the crows guarding her houses. By abolishing the eight-hour day, unpaid overtime, black work, the dismantling of all worker protection. With universities having police officers instead of professors and fences for thousands of kids directing them to colleges. With crime flourishing and insecurity being the key emotion as the mafia cooperates with the police rather than being prosecuted. With the generalized feeling of injustice everywhere. In every manifestation of the economy and society”.

He referred to the tragedy of Tempe, saying that it changed the facts and the image: “the so-called staff state that turned out to be a broken state. The supposedly excellent ones that turned out to be useless. The so-called modernizers who turned out to be anachronists. We have been plunged into the older eras of partisanship, nepotism, favoritism and nepotism. And above all, they showed how fake this whole mechanism of powerful propaganda is. How set up and hypocritical is the chief of staff of the staff state. Of which he allegedly knew nothing. And he is not responsible for anything. Everyone else is responsible except him.”

The pervasive feeling in Greek society, Mr. Tsipras argued, is “So far!” and added: “The question now for our Central Committee, SYRIZA, every democratic citizen, is how this so far, from finding, from feeling, will become an act of political change. How will it pave the way for change and progressive governance.”

Giving directions he said that “we have a double duty. The first to communicate our program. To convince that things can be done differently. That we have the plan and we can put an end to the disgrace, the discredit, the indifference, the worthlessness, the injustice. And the second that the change can be implemented with one condition: The clear, indisputable electoral victory of SYRIZA”.

He then explained: “Only with the victory of SYRIZA does our people give a clear and I would say strict order to all progressive forces. Progressive cooperation government, now. Without the adventures of the chain of electoral contests that New Democracy proposes and seeks. This is not only the only path to change. For a long-term government, which will have an unprecedented level of popular support. It is also the only path to political and social stability. The path of the unity of our people in the common effort for the common good”.

Regarding the potential difficulties of cooperation, he said that the people will give the mandate and added: “And I wonder again which leadership, of which democratic party, will decide to ignore this will. And to shoulder the cost for the country and itself of a series of electoral contests that the ND seeks. In order to implement the so far, a decision must also be made about where to go. Decision and act by the vote of the citizens. Getting this far is only possible with a strong decision to change.”

Mr. Tsipras argued that in these elections, SYRIZA not only faces Mr. Mitsotakis, but also “the oligarchy, corruption, big interests and the state pyramid that is intertwined with them.” In summary, he said: “In two words: We are facing the entire system of jurisdiction, entanglement, interests, profiteering and corruption that clogs the resources of society and the country”.

He then assured that “We are today the only ones who can lead such an effort to change”. He also noted that the elections are an opportunity not for a return to power or revanchism but “an opportunity to finally put into practice all those policies and programs aimed at improving people’s lives. In democracy without asterisks. In transparency. In the efficient and fair state. And in justice everywhere, which is our soul.” After reiterating that the 2015-2019 governance was under the Troika commission, he added: “In this respect SYRIZA deserves not a second but a first chance, to implement the program it has committed to. To rule without memoranda. Without the noose of the commission”.

Mr. Tsipras said that in these elections there is a mass party to fight the battle and added that it is the duty “to put the whole party, down to the last village and the last uninhabited island, in a fighting position, to organize this battle and leave nothing to chance. The task is to get out of the offices and manifestoes the cloister, and to find ourselves where the fruit of change and progressive government is tied: In society”.

Today’s Central Committee will approve the ballots for the parliamentary elections as well as the party’s electoral program: “You know the ballots were a pleasant headache. Because we were forced to make difficult choices between very strong nominations. The ballot papers that we are asked to approve today, however, are the mirror of our relationship with society”.