In the remarks of Alexis Tsipras stated that the ELAS became the official opposition in 24 hours and that it will also form a government, replied the government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis.
Specifically, Pavlos Marinakis, speaking on the television station “Crete TV,” responded to what Alexis Tsipras said in Nice on Monday (June 15) and noted that “a party becomes the official opposition when it comes in second in parliamentary elections and the first-place party forms the government. At this moment, PASOK is the official opposition due to the events that took place within SYRIZA, following Mr. Tsipras’s electoral defeat and the various splits that occurred within SYRIZA.”
“The only thing that is certain is that Mr. Tsipras—not in a single day or a few hours, but over four full years and after receiving two mandates from the citizens in 2015— managed to introduce 30 new taxes—or, in any case, increase or impose 30 taxes. He released all serious criminals through the criminal codes and laws he passed, drove Greece to 27th place out of 27 European countries in terms of growth rates, and did the opposite at every level—from civil protection to health care and from education to the economy— contrary to what he had promised during the campaign. So that’s four years. Whether Tsipras believes that all of this will be erased in a few hours, at the end of the day, the citizens will be the ones to judge us all”, he added.
“The opposition’s narrative about overtaxation is false”
Regarding the criticism leveled at the government concerning fiscal space, Mr. Marinakis emphasized that the opposition’s narrative regarding overtaxation is false. “Tax revenue is one thing; tax rates are another. In fact, these higher tax revenues result from combating tax evasion, creating jobs, and, more broadly, economic growth and spending cuts; which has nothing to do with the aforementioned revenue, but rather with the surplus. “Part of the surplus—up to the maximum allowed by the European Union’s spending caps—is returned to the public through tax relief and targeted, permanent measures,” he said.
“Now, regarding the 13th month’s salary, in principle, all of us who serve in any capacity are in favor of any measure that provides relief to society. There isn’t a single politician from any party who doesn’t want to vote for measures that help the people. But here, it comes down to setting priorities. When you have a specific budgetary framework—you have to allocate 1 billion in 2027, perhaps even more if possible—the 13th month’s salary, to be clear, the entire amount costs 2.5 billion. So let’s say we have 2.5 billion—which we don’t actually have to give out—we’d rather see that 2.5 billion go to as many people as possible—and I’ll say it again, it won’t be 2.5 billion; it might be 1 billion, or maybe a little more— that is, to self-employed professionals through tax breaks, as well as to private-sector employees and public-sector employees—to whom we’ve already given some raises and will give more—and not just to public-sector employees,” he added.
“Anyone who claims they can magically eliminate inflation is fooling the public”
On the issue of inflation, he said it is a daily, difficult battle that citizens are experiencing in the hardest possible way. “No one can say that this battle has been won,” he emphasized. “Anyone from any party who claims they can press a button and magically eliminate or reduce inflation is simply deceiving the public. There are only two ways to tackle inflation in the best possible way, to the greatest extent possible. The first is to increase incomes through permanent measures, so that income growth exceeds price increases wherever and whenever possible, and the second is through strict market controls and fines, so that those who, in the name of an “objective crisis,” an “imported crisis,” engage in profiteering know that there will be very strict and severe consequences,” said Mr. Marinakis.
Finally, he also referred to the law on the licensing of regional television stations, stating that “it was a piece of legislation that was 28 years overdue and during those 28 years, all regional television stations throughout Greece were operating under a provisional regime. In other words, every year the minister or deputy minister responsible for the press and mass media at the time had to extend this provisional status, thereby prolonging the “hostage situation” in which both employees and employers found themselves.”
“These jobs were, in fact, extended on a yearly basis, and most importantly, no distinction was made between ‘the wheat and the chaff’—that is, between the legitimate channels, the channels that paid their employees on time, invested in the quality of their content, hired more people, and complied with the law—as opposed to those that abused the law or often failed to meet legal requirements,” he added.
Regarding the transition of regional channels to HD, Mr. Marinakis said that a request from regional television stations had been granted, whereby the state would cover the costs of their transition to high-definition (HD) broadcasting—a technology familiar to all—for the next three years.
