“It is unfair for the Serrai people to be made an accomplice by Karamanlis of Tempe”, stressed the president of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, addressing the citizens of Serres, and said that both Mr. Mitsotakis and the former Minister of Infrastructure must answer to the Greek people “whose bribe was the fatal station master”.

“Today here in Serres we prove that there are no impregnable castles,” said Mr. Tsipras at the beginning of his speech and continued: “Today here in Serres we prove that the time for change has arrived, the time has come to say so far, so far with accuracy, so far with discrediting, with objectification, so far with profiteering, so far with nepotism, so far with injustice.

I want to thank you for this reception and above all to ask you to fight together in the days remaining until the ballot box this good fight to put needs and rights before us, to put our lives before us, the perspective of this place.

I am happy and proud that I will fight this fight personally from the prefecture of Serres as a candidate in the prefecture”.

He then explained the reasons that led him to the decision to be a candidate for parliament in the prefecture of Serres, saying:

“I want to explain to you the 3 + 1 important reasons why I decided that one of my nominations should be here in Serres.

The first reason is that I deeply believe that there are no two-speed Greeks. I strongly believe that the region deserves to have equal or even more rights in the development of this place.

The second reason has to do with the fact that I give and we give, despite the orgy of misinformation and propaganda, special value to our Macedonia and its prefectures and that is why I chose my participation in a Macedonian law.

The third reason is that Serres and your prefecture may have the name, but it has not been done any favors for 4 years now. Equally, it is a prefecture that has been discredited in unemployment, to be precise, in abandonment.

The fourth reason is because I believe it is unfair to the Serrai people that some people want the Serrai people to be the ones to wash away the great tragedy, a crime that should not be forgotten, the tragedy of Tempe. It is unfair for the Serrai people and your county to be mentioned in these elections in relation to Karamanlis of Tembon. I honor the conservative voters and I also honor the political family, which has given important things to the country. But familism sometimes – and this is instructive for every citizen regardless of who votes – familism can lead us to situations that are not only deeply conservative and unfair, but also dangerous. Because when someone with only his last name assumes positions of responsibility and manages human lives, this condition of familialism can become dangerous, not only deeply conservative and unfair”.

The president of SYRIZA-PS also addressed the “conservative” voters and noted:

“We, therefore, want to tell the citizens of Serres that these elections, regardless of whether you are centrist, conservative, progressive, leftist or rightist, you have a great responsibility to show that your country does not deserve to have this heavy stigma. That your place can give the message of change.

What did Mr. Karamanlis, the minister of Tempe, do for his district these four years? What I do know is that unemployment in your county has climbed to 35%, according to the data from the labor center. Accuracy robs the income of the middle class, that before long in Serres there will be only a few very rich and most poor, there will be no middle class. Merchants, shopkeepers are moaning, their shops have no turnover. The hospital is abandoned. While his organization foresees 160 doctors and he only has 80. They are even fewer than the ones we had left before the pandemic came. The prefecture of Serres has a very large migration, especially of young people.”

Mr. Tsipras attacked the Prime Minister and the former Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and pointed out the following:

“The choice of Mr. Mitsotakis and the former Minister of Infrastructure Mr. Karamanlis to finally stand as a candidate in these elections is a policy that highlights the hypocrisy and that they don’t really care beyond their chairs. And that is deeply sad.

I want to say it clearly, I have nothing personal, that all together We must work to regain credibility in politics. One cannot resign allegedly out of emotion and taking responsibility for a tragic accident and be in agreement with the Prime Minister to come back in 30 days. And it cannot be done with this theater that we saw in the days after this tragic accident, with the responsibility of Mr. Mitsotakis himself, who blamed the station master.

And today, I think, Mr. Mitsotakis, as well as Mr. Karamanlis, who is claiming the vote of your fellow citizens, who wants an entire prefecture to make him complicit, owe an answer to the Greek people: Whose bribe was this fatal station master after all? Whose bribe was he, uneducated, unfit, 57 human lives demand an answer.

We will not forget Not because we want to get political revenge, but because we believe that we should not forget so as to never experience similar tragedies again. Because these tragedies are due on the one hand to political hypocrisy and on the other to indifference to political choices. We cannot devalue the public space, we cannot consider that everything can be done in cooperation with private individuals and privatization. We cannot continue with this one-party state, with the ‘blue kids’ taking positions and the rest of the world in poverty.”

Mr. Tsipras asked for the vote of the citizens, saying characteristically: “We are not asking for a second chance, we are asking for the only opportunity to govern with our own program.”

At the same time, he expressed the belief that SYRIZA-PS is already ahead and on May 21 the people will give the order for the great upheaval.

Mr. Tsipras’ greeting to the citizens of Serres took place at the party’s election center at the junction of P. Tsaldari and Ermou streets.