There is no better response to those who have long been ranting and raving, repeating the claim that “the New Democracy of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has strayed from its principles” due to its economic policy.
Its economic policy, which stands in direct opposition to that of Andreas Papandreou (first 8 years of governance by the founder of PASOK), because it follows the rule of “conservative” economic management, to avoid deficits and overtaxation of citizens, something also identified with the “progressive” economic policy of the ruling Left of Alexis Tsipras (2015-19).
By Krini Kalogeridou
The New Democracy party—under Kyriakos Mitsotakis– remains faithful to the principles of its center-right heritage Konstantinos Karamanlis in its core tenets, with the exception of state interventionism, which the prime minister has replaced with post-liberalism, taking a different approach to the organization of the economy and society.
New Democracy continues to follow the principle of prudent economic management that focuses on citizens, particularly vulnerable groups (which form the backbone of Greek society) and the middle class decimated by Tsipras.
For the sake of the latter the mother of all battles in the economic arena (TIF), with the aim of mending their somewhat fractured relations, which will be the government’s most critical gamble on the road to the polls.
Difficult, but not impossible, given the fallout from OPECEPE and the pressing cost of living, which are continually caused by geopolitical circumstances and developments in the theaters of war in Europe and the Middle East.
Nevertheless, the prime minister continues to combat both on an economic level, aiming to strengthen households’ resilience against the two-headed monster of inflation, which is emptying their pockets in tandem with inflation, which has been on the rise.
Its goal was and remains the gradual restoration of the effects of the memoranda on the economic lives of Greeks, fiscal stability and order through the enforcement of the law in matters of combating corruption in society.
His goal was and remains to address society’s economic problems by increasing disposable income and providing tax relief to citizens, rather than opting for the across-the-board cuts implemented during the previous years of economic hardship.
Let us, however, focus on fiscal prudence, a concern frequently raised by the prime minister in the face of the siren calls of “progressivism” and the left- and right-wing representatives of populism in the press, who are calling for the surplus from 2025 (12.3 billion) without restraint and “investing” it in the Greek market, instead of the early repayment of our loans.
And this, despite the fact that we stand to gain significantly from early repayment, since we save 135 million euros in interest on each repayment, which resulted in Greece’s recent liberation from the infamous title of Europe’s most indebted country (June 8, 2026).
A development that went largely unnoticed by the opposition newspapers, even though it clearly demonstrated that the Mitsotakis government “wiped out” another 6.9 billion through the early repayment in June from the burden of the unbearable memoranda that our country has been carrying on its back since April 23, 2010 (when Greece entered the memoranda) and pertain to “installment maturities for the first half of 2029, the total amount for the years 2033 and 2034, as well as maturities in the first half of 2035 from the loan under the first memorandum.”
What does a prudent homeowner do when he owes a mortgage on his house? Does he update his wardrobe, go on exotic vacations, and recklessly succumb to the sirens of materialistic hedonism, of vanity and greed, or does he try to live within his means so he has money left over to pay off the loan?
Certainly the latter. And that is what the prime minister is doing, who is keeping his… clothes so that Greece can have half (a primary surplus of 4.9% of GDP—according to ELSTAT for 2025—which translates to 12.13 billion euros), and so that the misfortune that befell it during the hard years of the crisis does not befall it again.
There is something that has characterized us Greeks throughout history. We are defined by an enduring dichotomy: 1. The fact that we are a “people of patience” (due to our historical resilience in the face of crises) and that in difficult times we unite for the sake of our homeland. We are already doing the first part right now, despite the economic pressure we are under due to wars (Iranian-Ukrainian) and unpaid loans.
We cannot control the wars, because that is not up to us. But we can tackle those unpaid loans together and each of us individually by doing our part. Pressure is a bad thing. It requires patience and endurance. And these are equivalent to a marathon, which—in our case—is now in its 16th year…
A marathon for the Greek people that will lead them slowly but surely to the clearing of complete liberation from the yoke of the bailout loans. The horizon is open, despite the threats from the neighbor to the East, who has learned to cast a shadow over the prospects of Hellenism in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
And to respond to the motley crew of opportunists (inside and outside Parliament) and the left-right “Cassandras” who speak of a “final glimmer” and the “death rattle” of the Greek “ego” due to the constant pressure on their economic gains under the Damoclean sword of the impending legislation of “Blue Homeland” and the casus belli of the (numerically superior) Turks, I will invoke the Spartan warrior Dienekes.
I will invoke the “eternal warrior,” one of the 300 Spartans who took part in the Battle of Thermopylae under King Leonidas (480 B.C.), who gave the following legendary reply when told that the Persians’ arrows were so numerous they would hide the sun: “All the better, for we shall fight in the shade!”
And this shows that the time has come to turn a deaf ear to provocateurs of every kind, who—relying on fake news and doctored footage—treat the Greek people as a mob to be exploited for political gain.
The Greek people who are called upon to rise to the occasion, once again in their history, and to believe in their own strength. In the power of the “we” of the Greeks, which it must put before the “I,” so that it can turn every threat into an opportunity!
