He emphasized the need to “modernize” the army the president of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanos Kasselakis, in an interview, today on ATN1 and on the show “Morning Greece”, shortly before he left for Thebes and presented himself to the army.

He reiterated his point that the army must become professional and the mandatory term to be “much shorter” and to be “social”, that is, depending on his profession, everyone should offer something to his country. In fact, he characterized as “immoral” the fact that the soldiers are paid less than 8 euros per month.

As long as regarding SYRIZA-PS, he emphasized that it is now an “ideologically solid” party and that the new Executive Office is “working well and delivering,” while noting that “various executives” have taken initiatives based on his ideas, which are underway with “due dates.”

For the selection process of SYRIZA candidates for the European elections, he stated that his own opinion as chairman is “secondary” and that “the opinion of the members is primary”. However, referring to yesterday’s presentation of the party’s European program, he stressed that SYRIZA candidates should champion these key points.

About his assetsStefanos Kasselakis clarified that does not have any “active participation” in companies at this time, reiterating however that the law regarding overseas business must be changed and that by not changing this law, the ND essentially asks for the vote of emigrants but prohibits them from participating in active politics. In addition, he stated that he has assigned a group, within the party organs, to compose a “political proposal for transparency in parties”. even leaving points about the “where do you belong” of the ND Mrstressing the need to investigate how the prime minister’s associates are paid and how ND pays off its debts which are “half a billion” and, as he said, “increasing”. “Transactions and donations had to be public,” he said characteristically.

Mr Kasselakis denied that he was “brought” into politics but, as he said, when he saw the “void”, after the elections he “entered the arena”, while regarding his leftist past, he stated that his family had no never related to the “right” and that his grandparents were KKE on one side and PASOK on the other. He also noted that today it is important that the progressive center is the one that finds space in SYRIZA. Answering a question about the governance of SYRIZA, he stated that after 2016 he was “expressing” him, while before he was “disappointed” as with the previous governments. He even described Alexis Tsipras as a “very good prime minister” who, however, “made mistakes”, for which, as he said, he himself has made his “self-criticism”.

“The ’15-’19 cycle is closed. I have opened a new cycle”, emphasized the president of SYRIZA, adding that both Mr Nikos Pappas as well as Pavlos Polakis “they enjoy the trust” of. In fact, referring to the conference and what Tsipras’ intervention caused, he said that “it did not turn things upside down”, as “the conference started on time, the program was followed, the positions were voted on” and that it was anything but “cancelled” and that the “answer was given”, explaining that the party went through a “phase” due to the two splits in order to “find its identity”, to proceed with the “new procedures”.

He clarified that about the meeting he had afterwards with Alexis Tsipras, “he called” and underlinedwhat the their relations are “excellent“, as with her Olga Gerovasili. Asked whether he thought he would be challenged again if he had a bad result in the European elections, he repeated: “They are welcome to challenge me whenever they want, I will win again.”

As for where he puts it the threshold for the European elections, he said that “we are going for the overthrow”, however, he noted that “there is another stake in the European elections” and what counts for the citizen is that “another government comes that does not manipulate them”.

Referring to the SYRIZA proposal he presented on Tuesday for a new tax framework, he stressed that it “shows governability” and a “progressive alternative proposal” as it “changes the mix of economic policy”, increasing taxation on dividends and reducing taxation on low incomes. “We need common sense taxation, a stable framework for a decade”, he said, while commenting that these measures he proposes “not only work, but will cause an explosion of growth”.

He even accused the government that the reason it does not implement them is that it is based on “interests”.

In closing, he characterized “a very good agreement for the country, the Prespa agreement » and praised the role of the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, in these negotiations as well as in the Cyprus issue.