Greek elections: Collission over pre-election promises

Large social groups with targeted signals for their support in the next four years are at the center of attention of the incumbent government and the main opposition. PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed critical categories of citizens (and pools of voters), such as young people, civil servants, family heads, from Elefsina yesterday, announcing measures with a total cost of over half a billion euros.

The “positive” surprises, as expected by the government, through “specification of the economic program for the four-year period 2023-2027, are causing conflicts at the top. “I had and still have  concerns,” said Mitsotakis, speaking to the citizens of Western Attica, “we will support the weakest, so they feel that in difficult times the state is by their side, as we did during the pandemic.” A little while earlier, he himself from the Elefsina shipyards committed to three interventions.

The first is the institutionalization of the “Youth Pass”, i.e. the support of 150 euros for each young person who reaches adulthood (200,000 beneficiaries per year) for cultural and tourist activities as well as for transport. The second is the reduction of ENFIA property tax by 10% on the condition that the owners will insure their properties against natural disasters. The third concerns the reform of the salary of civil servants from January 1, 2024 with an emphasis on the low paid, those in positions of responsibility, but also on parents with an increase in the family allowance: to 70 euros for those with one child, to 120 euros for two children, at 170 euros for three children, at 220 euros for four children.

“Electoral anxiety”

Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA attacked Mitsotakis’ promises, accusing him of “electoral anxiety and panic”, which, according to the main opposition, refutes the claims that New Democracy is “galloping” towards electoral victory. After all, a “war” has already broken out between New Democracy and SYRIZA over the content but also over the cost of each side’s government plan.

Government sources insist that yesterday’s announcements concern measures “included in our program and costed” in the context of the medium-term 9 billion that has been submitted to the Commission. In this context, on the way to the ballot box, it is not excluded that there will be further targeted “revelations”, as long as SYRIZA raises the tone for “false promises”.

Stability

In any case, the issues of the economy, which are of great concern to the public, as can be seen from polls, along with the social agenda, which all the political leaders have opened in anticipation of broadening their appeal, will remain in the foreground until the election.

Mitsotakis tries to describe a scenario of fiscal balance, highlighting mainly the deeds of his administration, SYRIZA’s past record (“over-taxation”, “defunding pensions” and so on) as well as the consistency of speech and actions during the four years. “All the policies we are discussing for the coming years are based on the economy” was his message from Western Attica. “If you ask me what my goal is for the country,” he added, “it is to quickly approach the European average everywhere, whether we’re talking about investments or a welfare state. And the key is rapid growth, in terms of fiscal stability, so that we don’t experience what we experienced in the last decade.”