THE Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaking to the STAR television station about accuracy, he said: “Accuracy is the first concern of the Greeks and rightly so, it is a global phenomenon, a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It forced banks around the world to raise interest rates to contain inflation. It is not “accuracy Mitsotakis”. The household basket worked, the market pass, the wage increase and the income boost from the tax cut. This is a first mound. I appreciate and have the inflation figures for April we had the 5th lowest in Europe, it is that we have seen the worst and things will get better. We will continue to be close to those who need it”.

To reduce it VAT he said he insists that this is a measure that will not work. “It will be gradually and targetedly reduced for all products over the four-year period,” he said.

Regarding the big difference from the producer on the shelf, the prime minister said that the fewer intermediaries there are, the better the prices will be. He said, there are farmer platforms that sell directly. He noted that many producer prices have increased, so high prices in the primary sector are also helping exports.

Regarding the cost of energy, Mr. Mitsotakis said that the government’s policy had an effect. He explained that natural gas prices were found to be 10 times higher. “With the overall de-escalation of energy prices and with the effort the country is making to wean itself off natural gas, prices will continue to improve,” he added.

Mr. Mitsotakis said that “we will continue to support consumers”estimated that “international prices will help” and pledged that the support framework will continue.

He also said that reducing VAT on food to the lowest rate costs 1.5 billion a year. “Mr. Tsipras must say where he will find them. From 2023 the fiscal stability rules will return. Why do I say they would shake the bank in the air? We wouldn’t see the investment grade even with binoculars,” he added.

He emphasized that the ND program is costed, he talked about increasing wages and reducing taxes. “That’s why I’m committed. We also need to improve tax compliance. We have made progress. We will be very strict,” he emphasized.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the pensioners and said that “there is enormous dishonesty from the party that destroyed pensions with the Katrougalou law”.

The prime minister emphasized that in the long run the personal difference will disappear and that next year pensioners will get 4% raises.

For the 13th pension, he said that every year we manage to go better than the targets. “Yes, again this year we will have a good economy and at Christmas we will be able to help those in need. If we cut the VAT we would cut it for everyone. We will give the money primarily to those who need it”, he noted.

On raising wages and committing to a 25% wage increase, he said more investment and a reduction in unemployment were needed. He noted that as unemployment falls, businessmen will be forced to pay more.

“The economy itself solves the problem,” he emphasized. “We don’t want the benefit to be a substitute for unemployment,” he said. Regarding the world of work on the islands, he said that there is a question of conditions and noted that wages are improving. “We will be very tough on the implementation of labor laws, especially for children who work seasonally. A very important tool is the digital job card. The employer cannot claim that you worked less,” he added.

“I am proud that we have kept society standing in the face of the coronavirus,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The prime minister said that he sees the glass as half full and Mr. Tsipras as completely empty. “My job is to solve problems. This is different from presenting the image of a black Greece. Even the artichokes are black in the SYRIZA spots. Presenting a black image from the past does not suit us”, he emphasized, while regarding the ND program he said that it is cost-effective.

Especially on the issue of housing and high rents, he said there is a real problem. “My Home” program responds to this need. It’s going really well. I’ll double it. And if it is successful, we will possibly see to increase the limits a little and utilize public property for social provision”, he added, while referring to actions such as “I change the water heater” and “Photovoltaics on the roof”.

Regarding the SYRIZA program, he said that independent economists can estimate it and that the ND estimates it at over 80 billion.

Referring to the “personal assistant” he said that it costs 300 million and said that the SYRIZA program says about 70,000 personal assistants which inflates the cost.

“I watched the speech of Mr. Tsipras in ’14, the infamous program of Thessaloniki. Same words, same pronunciation. They learned nothing and forgot nothing. It impressed me. Nothing changed. After 4 years, we learned from our mistakes. This is not the case for the other side. Mr. Tsipras is being judged for his credibility,” he said.

“Mr. Tsipras has made a career of personal attacks. I only use the Prime Minister’s plane when I have no other choice. And Mr. Tsipras used it during the election campaign as prime minister and he did well. Let’s stop the jokes,” he added.

“The constitution states that the first party gets the first mandate. How I will use it will depend on the election result. The next day of simple analog is very difficult to give government. We have never been devotees of simple analog”, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Regarding the possibility of a government being formed after the first elections and Mr. Androulakis accepting Kyriakos Mitsotakis as prime minister, he said he could not answer. “Mr. Androulakis seems to have a personal obsession with me. He constantly attacks with heavy characterizations. He says the problem is me and not ND. He has never met me. I wanted to meet him. We have big differences with Mr. Androulakis’s PASOK. We don’t need an unstable government formation the next day, we need a stable government, single-party, not monochromatic,” he continued.

The prime minister said that once he secures self-reliance he will make use of the best, while he emphasized that “there is no way I will accept a vote of confidence in the parliament that is not purely based on the MPs elected with the ND”.

Mr. Mitsotakis said that on the other side there is an image of confusion. “One says no to the other, the other sets conditions, Mr. Varoufakis has the Dimitra program. This is inevitable and will be seen very soon,” he added.

Regarding the Kasidiaris matter, the prime minister added: “We did what the constitution allowed us to prevent knife-wielders from participating in the elections. And we succeeded. And we did it only with PASOK. The arrangement was sufficient. Our argument was absolutely solid and the case law that has been built makes a very specific intervention. Some cannot hide their sadness over the fact that Kasidiaris will not contest the elections.”

“The staff state was a great success for the country.” The prime minister said that this model has been tested and can be improved and interventions can be made in the organization of the government and in the selection of persons “where we may have put party water in our wine and this should not be done”.

He stated that his health is a big personal bet stressing that “you can’t wait 12 months for an operation”.

Mr. Mitsotakis said he wants to “break” the Ministry of Labor into one for pensions and a second one that will deal with social policy and housing.

Regarding the possibility of abstention, he said that “we want the citizens to vote in both elections” and noted that “we did not bring the simple proportional”. He reminded that both in 2015 and 2019, some worked during the season and that if there is a double ballot “it is not our responsibility”.

He added that for the first time 25,000 Greeks from abroad will vote and pledged that he will search for 200 deputies again, so that anyone who is registered in the electoral rolls will be able to vote from their place of residence.