“Our big goal is not to pass SYRIZA. It is in the next parliamentary elections that PASOK will be the winning force against New Democracy. There is one station, the European elections, which is very critical. We have set goals, but the big strategic goal is the next parliamentary elections,” PASOK president Nikos Androulakis said in an interview with ANT1, commenting on the poll results.

“The Democratic Party was created after major reorganizations. He served the Greek people. Mistakes were made, but he produced a very large body of work. This faction, in a modern way, with new faces, is coming to play its historical role: to be the real opponent of conservation in our country,” he said.

Regarding the rejection of the KKE’s request for the establishment of a commission of inquiry with a scope of investigation since 1997, for the railway tragedy in Tempi, Mr. Androulakis clarified: “I do not bargain or exchange votes. We do not support a mock investigation, based on the reasoning that for the crime of 2023, which was committed due to the lack of remote control, for which the European taxpayer paid 54 million euros, we start looking for fleas in the hay from 1997 instead of proceeding with a preliminary investigation . Why since 1997? Have you wondered? What does the KKE proposal say? “We start from 1997 because that was the first time European directives for the railway were transposed into national law”. In other words, New Democracy votes for the ideology of the KKE to start from when the European safety rules for the railways were introduced.”

“New Democracy is exploiting the anti-European ideology of the KKE in order not to lead the story to a preliminary investigation. Mr. Voridis comes to the Parliament and says: “we vote for the proposal of the KKE, but we tell you from now on that we will vote against the proposal of PASOK because there are no criminal responsibilities”. Who will judge that there are no criminal responsibilities? Mr. Voridis? Is he a judge?’ added Mr. Androulakis.

It identified as major problems accuracy, housing costs and the breakdown of the National Health System pointing out the failure of the policies adopted by the government.

“The precision started two years ago, -after the coronavirus-, and escalated with Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine. If in 2.5 years, four fines are an achievement, then tell the government of the New Democracy “well done”” he commented strongly insisting on the need to reduce the VAT on basic goods, the implementation of substantial controls on the market with the reinforcement of all supervisory bodies and an emancipated consumer movement.

“We insist that there should be a reduction in VAT on basic consumer goods, as was implemented in the economies of the Iberian Peninsula and brought very significant results. There was a narrative in the New Democracy non paper that Sanchez is collapsing in Spain and will lose the Prime Ministership because he failed to be punctual. And Sanchez became prime minister again and he has actually greatly reduced the precision and the dirty money in Spain” added the president of PASOK-Movement for Change.

“In the housing issuein addition to the social housing programs that provide a long-term solution to the problem, we also recommend immediate abolition of the golden visa and restrictions on short-term rentals” noted Mr. Androulakis, while regarding the critical sector of public health he pointed out that in private health expenditures “we are second in all of Europe, only Bulgaria surpasses us. The E.S.Y. is collapsing. and instead of using the Recovery Fund to regenerate the E.S.Y., to cover the gaps in specialties, to strengthen the health structures on the islands, the government turns a social good into an object of private speculation”.

Mr. Androulakis emphasized that although according to data from the Bank of Greece tax evasion is determined at 10 billion euros, the government budgets at 800 million the state revenues from the bill of the Ministry of Finance.

“Where are they going to get them from?” Of those who evade taxes with 200,000, 180,000. 150,000? Of course not. Why Mr. Mitsotakis does not aim for great wealth” and recalled the tax exemptions for parental benefits of up to 4.8 million euros, which the government instituted and favored the financially powerful.

“Do you remember what they told us before the elections? “Don’t vote for PASOK, it brings a tax storm”. Why was I saying to tax those who have shares worth 4 and 5 million euros shares. And now, what do they do? They hit the weakest freelancer” he concluded.

He addressed an invitation to progressive citizens.
“Whatever party you voted for in the last election, we have a program to improve your life. You ask me if we make alliances. We make social alliances with ecology, with movements, with people of the Left who, however, are not populists and respect independent principles”.

“Because someone asked me this morning about the use of the umbrella yesterday at the Polytechnic, it has no political message” he made a pun when asked about the Umbrella executives and Euclid Tsakalotos.

In the journalistic observation that the president of PASOK met with the president of SYRIZA but there has been no meeting with the prime minister, Mr. Androulakis underlined that “Mr. Kasselakis has officially asked to see me. Mr. Mitsotakis, on the contrary, did it through journalists and circles. If there is an official request for a specific issue, related to the economy or national issues, I have no problem talking to any political leader. We are a party of progress and logic and we are looking for consensus. But consents in the foreground, in an institutional way, not with behind-the-scenes games.”