Mitsotakis to ND MPs: “Our opponent is relaxation and complacency” – “In the elections toxicity was defeated”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke to the party’s deputies at the ND headquarters on Piraeus Street in Moschato this afternoon after the swearing in of the new Parliament, pointing out among other things that “the fight is not over yet, none of the results are counted and everything starts again from the beginning”, stressing that complacency is a greater enemy.

At the same time, he gave the basic guidelines for the pre-election period in view of the June 25 elections.

“In the elections, realism and pragmatism won and toxicity and polarization were defeated,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“I was sure”, he still said, “that the great effort would win the reward of the citizens” he pointed out.

“We have the current of the winner with us and we can bring people to the ballot box,” added the ND president, emphasizing that in the second ballots: “We must make sure that we have the maximum possible turnout.”

“The fight is not over yet. None of the results are counted. Everything starts again from the beginning,” he emphasized.

His speech in detail

“I imagine you noticed the semiotics, that the suits and ties of the inauguration have already been removed and we have put on the uniform of work for the coming election.

First of all, I want to say – to each and every one of you individually – a very big thank you for the fight we fought together. We achieved a very high percentage, which may have exceeded the expectations of some, but I was absolutely sure from the beginning that this great effort that we started four years ago would win the reward of the citizens. This is how it proved to be done at the ballot box.

But you know very well that the race is not over yet, and you also know very well that there is not even a “first round”, because none of the results that gave us so much joy in the May 21 election count in the ballot box June 25th. Everything starts all over again.

And I want to ask you from the bottom of my heart for the fight you did both for the party and for your individual candidacy, this time let’s give it, all of us together, so that we can reaffirm the result of the ballot at the ballot box on June 25 of May 21. So that we can secure a stable parliamentary majority the next day, which will allow us to quickly and efficiently implement our plan.

I don’t want to tell you much today, just to tell you how satisfied I am with the fact that not just a pre-election strategy, but a four-year strategy was vindicated at the ballot box. Pragmatism and realism won and populism and lies from the past were defeated.

Toxicity and polarization have been defeated and decency and serious political discourse have won. And those who wanted to divide society were defeated and those who saw and see Greece united and care for the advancement of every Greek woman and every Greek man won.

I believe that we all received great satisfaction from the fact that this very great victory was achieved with results that some of us could not even imagine: with the predominance of the New Democracy -and by state- in popular districts of Athens, with predominance in areas, in constituencies, which some considered to be “castles” of the opposition. All of Greece was “painted” blue in these elections.

This, of course, apart from the great satisfaction, fills us with even more responsibility. Responsibility for what we have to do in these four weeks and responsibility, of course, for the next day as well. Because today – and after what we heard from all the opposition parties – one thing is absolutely clear: that there is only one proposal for governance in the country and that is the independent New Democracy the next day.

And let’s not forget that in these elections we are voting for the government, not the opposition. If some others wish to compete for the “champions” of the opposition, this is a battle that does not concern us, just as it does not ultimately concern the great majority of citizens.

So let’s go together to fight this fight, these four weeks left until the June 25 election. I won’t hide it from you, our opponent can be complacency, the satisfaction of victory, relaxation. We, however, have with us the current of the winner. And we can always more easily bring people to the ballot box and that’s what we should do. With your help we can make sure we have the maximum possible attendance.

I see no reason why someone who voted for us in the May 21 elections should not vote for us again in the June 25 elections, as long as we continue to govern with moderation, with modesty and emphasizing – I will insist on this – our own positive programmatic reason.

The citizens supported us, after all, because they trusted not only our management ability during these four years, but they believed that we have a vision for the Greece of tomorrow. In this vision, which has been presented in detail and we must stick to it, which is called the “Government program for the next four years”, we must still stick to it.

Our opponents are the problems of the citizens. Citizens have difficulties, we recognize them. We want to solve their problems. We did not transform Greece into a paradise in four years. However, we have shown that we have an understanding of the problems and the ability to prove that we can solve these problems.

So, I’m going to ask you to stick very hard to our programmatic reason. Let’s leave the shadow battles with the opposition, to the opposition. Quite a few will be fighting each other about who will have the “prime” in the opposition. I insist, this is a battle that does not concern us. We are interested in building on this relationship of trust that we have already built with the citizens and to continue on the same path, firmly, boldly, forward, for a self-reliant Greece with the self-reliant New Democracy as the protagonist.

And, of course, now I too am free from the duties of governance. I’ve moved a little these days, they call me “Mr. Prime Minister”, I say “I’m not Prime Minister”. If you want me to be Prime Minister again, make sure you come and vote for me again in the June 25 election.

I will go back to Greece like I did, I have already done it many times. I will choose to visit more areas that I did not get to visit in the previous pre-election period.

We now have – and I must emphasize this – a very good understanding of the election results. All of you in your constituencies know where to target. I don’t need to say more details.

And when I say where you can aim, in these elections as much as the work that will be done centrally is important, the work that will be done door-to-door is even more important, because we already know the election results section by section. And I want to ask everyone in their constituency to do this work. We can all understand and draw conclusions from the election results and we can all aim, with methodical work that can be done, to be able to further strengthen our electoral percentage.

You know that we place great emphasis on our organizational competence. We will do the same now. And our executives and you now, freed from the stress of the cross which I completely understand, I think we can turn all our energies to how we will fight for the common good, which is nothing but the great victory of of New Democracy in the June 25 ballot.

I am sure that we will succeed and when we meet again in this place we will be winners again.

Be well, good strength and good fight. And good luck in your constituencies. Thank you very much.”