Editorial Ta Nea: Political toxicity

The government believes that the main opposition party will attempt to create a toxic political environment in the run-up to the next general elections.

For its part, the opposition maintains that the government wants to polarise the political climate in order to revive the anti-SYRIZA front.

Political parties, of course, condemn the escalation of political tensions and each claims that it has presented a political platform with specific proposals for handling major crises that bedevil citizens in their daily lives.

Since last week, we have witnessed am intense political ping-pong that by all appearances will be a daily affair until the elections.

That includes the war of words that has broken out regarding who is responsible for the political toxicity which, although it may fleetingly serve partisan interests, harms the country.

Unfortunately, not many years have passed since extreme polarisation dominated Greek political life, and none of us has forgotten the harm that it caused, degrading the entire political system in the eyes of many voters.

That is why political parties, when they maintain that their morals and demeanour are better than those the others, must demonstrate that this is not merely hollow rhetoric.

A party’s actions are what will truly demonstrate that it comprehends that political toxicity constitutes a danger for the country, because it is actions in the final analysis that citizens watch and evaluate.