Commenting on yesterday’s reports by Alexis Tsipras about Andreas Papandreou, the president of PASOK-Movement of Change. Nikos Androulakis in an interview with OPEN he noted: “Andreas Papandreou is first of all the best-known Greek politician after the Second World War. Konstantinos Karamanlis is known, but in Western countries. Andreas Papandreou, however, had a global reach. You can find people who have honored him and know him from Latin America and Africa to Asia. Yes, it belongs to the democratic, progressive history of the Greek people. But to go from this to falsifying modern history, as Mr. Tsipras does, really becomes graphic. I lead the party founded by Andreas Papandreou and Mr. Tsipras leads the party that went to jail Andreas Papandreou. This is the newest History. Let’s also talk about politics, because he said that he has followers of Andreas Papandreou in his party. Andreas Papandreou and “Prespes of the Aegean” do not go together. The wise people say about cases such as Mr. Tsipras’ well-known: “My name is Rizo and I do what I want”. George Papandreou was described as a Pinochet dictator and a few months ago he was saying the best. He went to put Evangelos Venizelos in prison and in the summer with the wiretapping commenting on his positions, he said the best about him as well. All this is for fun, but there is also a political substance that shows the morals and consistency of the political leaders of the parties. Yesterday, Mr. Tsipras stated: “I have submitted a proposal for the “red loans”, but it is not a big deal.” What does he imply by this? He comes five years later and tells the Greek people that he played with millions of borrowers from 2012 to 2015. There is no limit to the inconsistency and populism of Mr. Tsipras. It took some of the PASOK voters, but it also took half of Mr. Kammenos’s party. He also took the Representative of the bankruptcy administration of Mr. Karamanlis. Do you want to put all this in the discussion? We’re getting nowhere. The only conclusion is that Mr. Tsipras, without principles and without values, is trying to conquer power by once again influencing the Greek people.”

He addressed progressive citizens. “Vote for PASOK because we have a reliable and progressive generation, a modern political program, we do not have ND and far-right executives in our party, we have a consistent and valuable attitude for the Golden Dawn. Come let’s create the new progressive house to make brave changes” emphasized Mr. Androulakis.

Referring to the SYRIZA proposal for “Prespes of the Aegean”, Mr. Androulakis asked himself: “With which interlocutor Mr. Tsipras?” With Erdogan or with Kilindaroglu? Where one “reds” Thrace and the islands of the Northeast Aegean in his spots and the other talks about islands that belong to Turkey?”

Asked if he has a personal problem with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he pointed out: “Mr. Mitsotakis says I’m obsessive. I didn’t make my nephew watch it. I do not have a Press Representative in my party who, on Good Friday, spoke obscenely against the party of New Democracy. I don’t have a Communications Director, a person who targeted my family and my personal life. I am a politician who moves in the foreground and not in the background. I don’t have any personal issues. I have a deep political issue that Mr. Mitsotakis is the protagonist of a scandal that covered up a parastatal apparatus, having the audacity to watch me, the heads of the Armed Forces, ministers of his own government and they have not been brought to justice and its commissions of inquiry Parliament the persons involved. Mr. Mitsotakis turns to the channels and articulates an argument: “I told him to see me and he didn’t see me.” Really, it makes a huge impression on me. I have never met a prime minister in a European country flipping the channels and saying such childish arguments. Has he ever asked me to meet me on a national and serious, social issue based on protocol and I refused? What are we; Neighbors, let’s go have coffee and get to know each other?’

“I would like to evaluate the Greek people that it is not only the wiretapping with the parastatus he set up, which exposes every element of liberalism on Mr. Mitsotakis, but it is also the issue of Golden Dawn. As long as Golden Dawn was below 3% they were thinking slyly at Maximos saying “larger balance, easier self-reliance”. As soon as the Golden Dawn began to “inflate”, they were afraid that it would enter the Parliament and the bar of self-reliance would increase. This is our huge difference” added the President of PASOK-Movement for Change.

Regarding the post-election partnerships, Mr. Androulakis emphasized: “What I have said will apply to the fullest extent. Are we getting a strong rate? It is a message of stability and strength for a progressive direction in our negotiations. Programmatic direction is our programmatic priorities. If you look at them, they all have the character of European Social Democracy that builds a sustainable competitive economy with good jobs and a strong welfare state that will deal with inequalities. Based on these priorities, we will start negotiations, as is the case in other countries. If we come to convergences, we will go to the faces. I will not say who will be prime minister, because that is what they are going to charge me for, that 12-13-14% want to say who will be prime minister. No, I will not say who will be prime minister. They will be people of common acceptance. And a person of common acceptance should be able to and have the culture of cooperative governments.”

“The country cannot be held hostage because we have two leadership groups that do not respect democracy and institutions. Name me a European country where the Special Court condemns 13-0 the closest associate of Mr. Tsipras and instead of sending him home, he has him next to him on his ballot papers. Tell me a European country where the nephew of the prime minister, the liberal prime minister who put his whole family in positions, becomes No2 of the country. We see that he has set up a parastate and no one is talking? Have we forgotten the name of Dimitriadis? I come here not to compromise and take chairs. I came into politics to fight, to clash to change the political system, to improve the state, to improve the economy and for the new generation to have the right to happiness and prosperity,” he added.

Referring to tragody of the Tempes, noted: “Take all those who are in critical positions. All party children of New Democracy, unrelated to trains, to OSE, to TRAINOSE. What am I saying? Do you make me strong? Within two months, with an open international competition, all administrative boards, all organizations, all hospitals will be staffed.”

Regarding Education issues, he underlined: “Should there be exams? Of course there must be exams. In all countries there are some exams. But what does PASOK say? A student’s future cannot be judged in an exam, as the future of our generations has been judged. Our proposal is a national baccalaureate, with exams in the last two years because there must be some exams. It will be based on the German model and the French model. You will choose some schools based on your grade. And what does this give to school, middle school and high school? It stops being outlandish. Today the school is out of order, that’s why primary and secondary education has collapsed.”

“If some businessmen come and bring a business proposal for a non-state – non-profit university, which will have a campus at the standards of other universities and laboratories, we are obviously in favor. We will not give a blank check to do the education as the next prime minister wants, which I aspire to be neither one nor the other of the current protagonists, unless there is a comprehensive agreement on non-state universities and on the way to support them of the public university” stressed Mr. Androulakis when asked to take a position on the debate surrounding the revision of article 16.

Analyzing the PASOK-Movement for Change proposal for taxation, he noted: “Progressive scale in taxation. For the period of crisis, reduction of VAT on basic goods. Reduction of the tax for salaried work. But increasing taxes on issues related to parental benefits. In other words, I can’t pretend to be a Social Democrat and have up to 4.8 million tax-free, in a country that went bankrupt. Up to 400,000 euros tax-free. I care about the poor and the middle class. The weak Greek who listens to us, has to give more than 400,000 – and tax-free – to his children? Where Mitsotakis made it 800,000 and reaches up to 4.8 million euros. Isn’t that contempt for logic?’

“I have a specific path. I’m not a brood neither have I climbed from any elevator nor have the domestic oligarchy caressed me on my way. What I am saying is a contract with the people. And when I say contract with the people, I say it in terms of my credibility. And not like those who promised a “contract with the people” and that they would “tear up the memorandum” and brought a worse memorandum, the extreme right in the government. And in the second year, when Mr. Mitsotakis supported everything we did against SYRIZA and their stance against the institutions, but then he did the same thing that SYRIZA did, attacking the Independent Authorities” concluded Mr. Androulakis.