Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, speaking on MEGA, left clearspikes against the opposition.
He focused on the delays in appointing heads of Independent Authorities, the proposal of PASOK on labour, and the political climate ahead of elections. He spoke of the need for consultation, while accusing the opposition of contradictions and toxic rhetoric.
On the Independent Authorities
The government spokesman claimed that three Independent Authorities have remained without a head for years. He said the constitution requires an increased majority of 3/5, so there can be no decision without cooperation.
He stressed that there was communication with Nikos Androulakis and agreement on persons of common consent, such as Macridimitris and Syngouna, while according to him, PASOK changed its stance at the last minute.
He accused Mr. Androulakis of “stepping into two boats”, attempting to balance between the government and the rest of the opposition. He argued that this stance left the authorities in the dark.
Pavlos Marinakis: “I don’t want to say more about the political downward slide and toxic rhetoric, it’s even funny that they try to “level the playing field” by referring to the Truth Group, a site that has never hidden and brings out the truth. Anyway. What has been done with the Independent Authorities I believe is unprecedented in terms of the thruth and cynicism of Mr. Androulakis. First of all, we have three independent authorities headless for years, i.e. they have no head, the term of the head has expired, one for one year, a little more than that, and the other two for four years. The Constitution requires consultation. Why? Because the Independent Authorities by the Conference of Presidents to elect the new head needs an increased majority to elect the new head. So when the Constitution tells you you want 3/5 so you need an increased majority, you need consultation and consensus. So it’s not that it was a “comeback”, it’s something the Constitution requires. So we have 16 out of 29. So we can’t do it alone. But we certainly can’t do it without the Southwest, which had 16 out of 29. So a consultation began months ago with the president of PASOK personally, a personal communication with the president of PASOK, with a top government official. So? There are all these things, they are obviously verbal communications, but it’s something that is not disputed.
It was requested and rightly so by PASOK that there be a call for CVs. It was agreed by us, there was a call, over forty – for all three positions – CVs were submitted, and we ended up with Mr Androulakis, the person who was talking to him, with Mr Androulakis, because he did not want for the third independent authority two persons for two of the three. I will say and the persons. Mr Makridimitri, which was a joint proposal but more ours, and Ms Sygouna for the PAPC, which was a joint proposal but more a PASOK proposal. In order to reach an understanding. Why did it not go ahead? So Mr Androulakis and PASOK, although they had said yes, they came to Parliament, and that was the reason why the President of Parliament said these two names, he did not go crazy and said them, obviously there was a political understanding. He came to the House and he went only to advance his own option and to propose another option, which I do not underestimate the option he proposed, but you can see from his consistency – which is not there – and his complete lack of basic credibility. But the most terrible thing is what? While he backed down, leaving the Independent Authorities headless, PASOK was wagging its finger and shouting and at the same time the attitude of the rest of the opposition, the populist parties, shows the following terrible thing and I will end with this. At the moment when Mr Androulakis was trying to come to an understanding with us, with the New Democracy, so that the independent authorities would not be headless, he was also winking at the rest of the opposition and saying to them, “I am not going to come to an understanding, I will continue to set fire to them and do nothing”. So there he got to the point where he was treading on two boats, fell in the middle and instead of apologizing, he was wagging his finger at the government for coup and institutional inconsistency. Too much.”
For the four-day project
Referring to PASOK’s proposal for four-day work, Mr. Marinakis said it did not correspond to the reality of the market.
He noted that businesses are already facing a problem finding staff. He said a mandatory reduction in working days would increase the need for workers and costs.
He warned of possible lockouts, rising unemployment or rising prices. He reminded that the government has already introduced voluntary four-day work, if there is an agreement between employers and employees.
Pavlos Marinakis: “Mr. Siomopoulos and now and in the previous years and especially when I was the secretary of the New Democracy, I have visited many, many businesses and I am sure that you and Mrs. Gantona do so and especially the small and medium enterprises. If you go into a business lately, the two main things they will say to you, one is ‘you have reduced but reduce the non-wage costs further’ and the second thing they will say is ‘we cannot find workers’. So the problem that the country had 10 years ago, which was unemployment, especially among young people, has been completely reversed, it’s been reduced to the lowest in 20 years and of course the opposite problem, which is that businesses can’t find workers. There is not a business you can walk into and not hear this. And here comes the leader of the country’s opposition, so a man who wants to become prime minister at some point and puts forward a proposal that leads to the problems being blown up a hundredfold or a thousandfold…”
On the political scene and Tsipras
Commenting on the political climate, the government spokesman spoke of competition in the opposition, with accusations of populism and exaggerations.
He referred to Alexis Tsipras,saying that he expresses policies that have already been tested. He cited the government’s results as a counterbalance, such as wage increases and lower unemployment.
He refrained from predicting who would be second in the elections, stressing that the government is moving on the basis of results and not political controversies.
Pavlos Marinakis: “There will certainly be a battle, it seems a bidding battle, both on who will give the most, but also on who will throw more “mud” and speak more toxic … We are playing on another field, the field of realism, self-criticism, work and results.”
On polls and the economy
Marinakis argued that the polls show both the difference between the government and its rivals and the need for more work.
He referred to support measures, noting that interventions worth hundreds of millions of euros have already been announced. He stressed that the surpluses come from growth, tax cuts and spending restraint.
He stressed that the aim is to return part of the revenues to society in a way that does not disturb the fiscal balance.
Pavlos Marinakis: “Two realities are reflected in the polls… but there is also a distance from the desirable and desired result, which we must continue to work to cover…”
Finally, he dismissed the scenarios of tension within New Democracy. He stressed that MPs are a key pillar of the government and that dialogue is an element of the party’s functioning.
He said different views are expressed institutionally, without any question of cohesion.
Pavlos Marinakis: “There was no targeting of MPs. Alas, if you target those because of whom the government stands… The Southwest is intertwined with dialogue…”
