The updated data from the Pre-Election Platform Implementation Index of the Center for Liberal Studies (KEFIM) paint a political reality that is hard to dispute.
Three years after the elections of 2023, 91.6% of the verifiable pre-election campaign pledges of the government have either already been implemented or are currently underway. This is a percentage unprecedented in the context of Greek politics and an achievement that highlights the importance of political consistency in a country where, for decades, pre-election announcements often remained on paper.
According to an assessment by KEFIM, 20.5% of the commitments have been fully implemented, 28.8% have been partially implemented, while another 42.3% are in progress. In total, 143 of the 156 auditable commitments have been implemented or are proceeding with specific actions and timelines. Particularly strong performance is recorded in Defense and Foreign Policy, in Education and in Economy, that is, the sectors that have been at the center of the government’s planning from the very first day of New Democracy’s second term.
The significance of these figures becomes even greater when one recalls the political context of the elections of 2023. Citizens did not simply vote for individuals or slogans. They were called upon to choose between two different approaches to governance and two specific government programs.
On one side was the program of the New Democracy, with a total cost of 9.1 billion euros for the four-year period 2023–2027, with an annual budgetary impact of approximately 2.2 to 2.3 billion euros. A program that provided for wage and pension increases, tax relief for families and professionals, strengthening of the National Health System, and new support for the most vulnerable, without compromising fiscal stability, achieving primary surpluses and regaining investment-grade status.
On the other hand was SYRIZA’s program. The party itself estimated the cost at 22 to 23 billion euros over four years, while the economic team of the government at the time argued that the actual cost could reach as high as 83 billion euros over the four-year period. The difference was not merely numerical. At the same time, SYRIZA promised significant wage increases, the reinstatement of the 13th pension, the repayment of back pay, major reductions in taxes and VAT, a reduction in the excise tax on fuel, and a drastic increase in government spending on health and education. The big question at the time was who would finance these commitments and how the country’s fiscal balance would be maintained.
The citizens evaluated, compared, and chose. And today they see that the program that was voted in did not remain merely on campaign posters. It is being implemented. This is also the most resounding response to those who insist on claiming that the government is not getting anything done. Political debate is legitimate. However, denying the facts does not constitute serious opposition.
Behind this picture lies the political credibility of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Not because everything went smoothly or because there are no outstanding challenges. But because it is becoming evident that there is a clear connection between his campaign promises and his actions in government.
This is precisely what makes it difficult for Alexis Tsipras to re-emerge as the supposed champion of a new political agenda. Citizens remember 2015 very well. They remember the promises to abolish the memoranda with a single law and a single article, the assurances that collapsed within a few months, the referendum that led to a spectacular political U-turn and ultimately to the third memorandum. The comparison, therefore, is not between individuals. It is between political consistency and political self-delusion. And the data from KEFIM clearly show which of the two ultimately convinced the citizens.
