The President of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, Sokratis Famellos, during the first day of taking office, spoke to media representatives about his priorities for the party, for the party media, criticized the Prime Minister’s statements on the budget and brought back his proposal SYRIZA-PS for the legalization of the term “femicide” on the occasion of today’s day dedicated to in eliminating violence against women.

– To restart the party and for Dawn and Red:

“Already last night we started work, we went up to my office with the key partners, executives and partners in Koumoundourou to do the first planning.

It is a very big moment for us, we had a turnout that gave a lot of responses but also a lot of new membership registrations and I would like to inform you from now that I will ask this wave of support for SYRIZA to continue. I would like our Organizations throughout Greece to remain open, to continue the registration of new members and to continue the campaign for Avgi and Kokkino.

Because these are the issues that will concern us from day one. And the workers in Avgi and Kokkino and the restart, which also means supplying SYRIZA-PS and the Left and the progressive faction with new cadres.

We started! We are opening our offices and SYRIZA-PS is getting stronger. The united reason also means a bigger SYRIZA-PS.

“Composition and Unity”

“I would like to thank once again everyone who worked, who worked for yesterday’s great democratic effort. To thank my fellow candidates and to congratulate Pavlos Polakis for his brave stance. Synthesis and unity will be the main characteristics that we will have both in the field of programs and at the level of action”.

For the budget and the Prime Minister’s statements to the Council of Ministers:

“From what we saw in the budget and from what I have been informed by the members of the Parliamentary Group, the budget has an increase in taxes. It has an increase of 1.5 billion in VAT and an increase of 1 billion. euros in personal income tax. This is not a tax cut, it is the opposite.

I heard him (ie the prime minister) refer to purchasing power. I think politically it is too late for the government to deal with purchasing power now, when Greece is at the lowest points in Europe according to Eurostat figures and a quarter of the citizens are below the poverty and social exclusion thresholds. I was even reading a poll showing that 40% can’t make ends meet.

Instead of the government really dealing with the development of the country, with investments, with the production model, the only positive result it has is super profits, that is, the obscene profit of a few oligopolies. These have been the government’s choices so far and, if we want to be credible politicians on our part at least, we will highlight this inconsistency.

We will have much more discussion within the budget, but since the Prime Minister raised these issues in the Cabinet, I also want very seriously, as SYRIZA-PS should and does, to highlight them and give him the opportunity to make corrections and changes. That’s why, I think, the political debate takes place. It is not a confrontation, it is an attempt to progress society. This is what SYRIZA-PS will do.”

For the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:

“It represents one of the big conversations we need to have not only on the issue of discrimination, but also violence and especially violence against women. And the SYRIZA-PS proposal for the legal recognition of the term femicide is coming back today. It’s a standing proposition of ours, which I think adds, not subtracts. Because we want a society with more equality and that means more democracy.”

His statement in detail:

“Thank you for being here.

Already last night we started work, we went up to my office with the key partners, executives and partners in Koumoundourou to do the first planning.

It is a very big moment for us, we had a turnout that gave a lot of answers, but also a lot of new member registrations and I would like to inform you from now, that I will ask that this wave of support for SYRIZA-PS continues. I would like our Organizations throughout Greece to remain open, to continue the registration of new members and to continue the campaign for Avgi and Kokkino.

Because these are the issues that will concern us from day one. And the workers in Avgi and Kokkino and the restart, which also means supplying SYRIZA-PS and the Left and the progressive faction with new cadres.

I would like to thank once again everyone who worked, who worked for yesterday’s great democratic effort. To thank my fellow candidates and to congratulate Pavlos Polakis for his brave stance. Synthesis and unity will be the main characteristics that we will have both in the field of programs and at the level of action.

In addition, I would also like to address some of the issues on today’s agenda, because I heard the Prime Minister in Cabinet a little while ago refer to the budget, and I believe that will be the first discussion we will have. As I said to him, my view is that there should be a return to credibility in politics and that is why I want to make a comment because he raised a question from his introduction about what attitude the opposition will take to his proposals or to the government’s proposals to reduce taxes. From what we saw in the budget and from what I have been informed by the members of the Parliamentary Group, the budget has an increase in taxes. It has an increase of 1.5 billion in VAT and an increase of 1 billion. euros in personal income tax. This is not a tax cut, it is the opposite.

I also heard him refer to purchasing power. I wonder if after five years of government it is too early or too late to deal with purchasing power. I think politically it is too late for the government to deal with purchasing power now, when Greece is at the lowest points in Europe according to Eurostat figures and a quarter of the citizens are below the poverty and social exclusion thresholds. I was even reading a poll showing that 40% can’t make ends meet.

We are seeing a very long delay because the government, instead of really dealing with the development of the country, with investments, with the production model, the only positive result is super profits, i.e. the filthy lucre of a few oligopolies. These have been the government’s choices so far, and if we want to be reliable politicians, we will at least highlight this inconsistency.

We will have much more discussion within the budget, but since the Prime Minister raised these issues in the Council of Ministers, I also want very seriously, as should and as SYRIZA-PS does, to highlight them and give him the opportunity to make corrections and changes. That’s why, I think, the political debate takes place. It is not a confrontation, it is an attempt to progress society. This is what SYRIZA-PS will do.

SYRIZA-PS will be serious, well-documented, strengthen and open to Greek society.

Finally, on the occasion of the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the memory of which is also symbolized by the orange ribbon I am wearing, I point out that it is one of the great discussions that we must have not only on the subject of discrimination, but also on violence and especially violence against women. And the proposal of SYRIZA for the legalization of the term femicide comes back today. It’s a standing proposition of ours, which I think adds, not subtracts. Because we want a society with more equality and that means more democracy.

We, as you can see, have started. We are opening our offices and SYRIZA is getting stronger. The united reason also means a bigger SYRIZA.

Thank you very much.”