The prime minister repeats twice a day that the elections will take place in the spring of 2027, but his efforts do not seem to be falling on deaf ears.
If only there were a prime minister who had suddenly changed the electoral law or called a surprise election in 2023. Whether he speaks or not, the speculation continues, and guessing the timing of the elections has become a national pastime.
Okay, journalists have to make a living, political consultants, and pollsters all have to make a living, but things have gotten a bit out of hand, and it’s certain that this discussion is wearing on the public. I don’t think anyone wakes up or goes to sleep wondering exactly when the elections will be held, especially since we’re now entering the eighth year.
But it’s not just the commentators who are to blame. It’s not even just the parties of the opposition who are demanding that K. Mitsotakis should have left yesterday. The whole thing is a bit tragicomic, especially when it’s said by party leaders whose parties are polling at 1.5%, as in the case of SYRIZA.
But it also applies to all those calling for elections, who argue that if, for example, elections are held in October, it would be a sign of political and institutional opportunism. Figure out what they’re asking for. Government officials are obviously also to blame for spreading such scenarios.
Thus, we’ve entered what may be a very long pre-election period, with everyone scrambling and us getting a taste of the quality of the debate to come. Let’s take the issue of benefits. One person proposes free tickets for all public transportation, while another suggests them only for those under 24, and in the end, the second suggestion gets more attention.
Someone else found the magic formula for finding 1,500 tax ID numbers that, by slamming their holders with taxes (the tax mentioned above, to be precise), will solve all of Greek society’s problems.
Let’s see what else we’ll see and hear. No proposals for the country’s development, for increasing competitiveness and innovation, for tackling inflation, or for how to support incomes. No substantive proposals. It all smacks of the 2023 election campaign, when Greece was portrayed as a country where everyone had been brought to their knees by poverty and those who managed to survive were dying outside the National Health System. Do they really believe that by repeating the same tactics, they’ll get better results? The polls will tell, but this tactic of theirs seems to be helping Mr. Mitsotakis set the agenda and make it appear that, whether you agree with him or not, he is the one pushing through measures.
As if the promise-making weren’t enough, we’ve entered a phase—unique in Greek history— indescribable political maneuvering that discredits the political system, the parties, and the people who want to represent us. The problem has become so acute that many are wondering whether, if they vote for someone to be a member of parliament with a particular party, they’ll still find that person in the same political camp a few years down the road.
We have about forty independent members of parliament waiting for a call to serve, a number of SYRIZA officials who may join ELAS, names appearing in political gossip columns, and many moves that are certainly being prepared behind the scenes. You wouldn’t exactly call this the best thing for politics or for fostering trust in individuals and their choices. It’s interesting that a political leader who, until recently, was accusing Mr. Mitsotakis of “airport transfers” and is now rushing to recruit people from the old SYRIZA and the Kasselakis party, even well-known right-wingers—but truly right-wingers.
But there’s another novelty at the moment.If we set aside New Democracy, which is the ruling party and in any case speaks of the goal of a majority government—a prospect that, however difficult it may be, is reasonable— there are four other parties talking about coming in first or even winning an outright majority.
A. Tsipras, as soon as he saw 14.5%–15.5% in the polls, rushed to talk about coming in first.
N. Androulakis, although polling at 10.5%–11.5%, insists that his party will be the leading party and a decisive factor in forming a government, while he has ruled out New Democracy and is not discussing which parties he will form a government with.
K. Velopoulos is also talking about coming in first, and M. Karystianou is now, too, confidently promoting the goal of forming a government on her own.
Conclusion? We’re talking about the ultimate puzzle of political madness. Especially citizens who would like to see change but don’t like living in a fantasy world are probably starting to feel uneasy. Who does this picture actually help?
In any case, as we head toward the elections, pathologies and unhealthy situations are already coming to light. Let’s not be too sure that we won’t see a bone-crushing abstention rate. And it would make sense for this to come from voters of parties that have nothing to contribute to the discussion on how this country will be governed. Because, if I’m not mistaken, we hold elections to form a government.
* The article was published on Liberal.gr
