<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
The Referendum That Will Never Be Forgotten
<\/h3>\n
No matter how many years go by, the 2015 referendum will remain the first major chapter in any discussion of Alexis Tsipras\u2019s political legacy.<\/p>\n
Citizens were called upon to answer a pivotal political dilemma. The government staked everything on \u201cNo.\u201d The country was divided. Polarization reached a fever pitch. And when the polls spoke, the government ultimately chose a different path.<\/p>\n
For many citizens, that was the moment when the myth of the anti-establishment leader who would change Europe crumbled. That was the moment when political promises clashed with reality, and reality won hands down.<\/p>\n
That is why today, every time Mr. Tsipras speaks of a new beginning, a large segment of society remembers that summer:<\/p>\n
\u00a0– The banks that closed and the citizens waiting at ATMs<\/i>
– The retirees who waited for hours for a few euros<\/i>
\u00a0– The businesses struggling to operate under restrictions<\/i>
\u00a0– The uncertainty that engulfed the entire country<\/i><\/p>\n
No new party can erase these images. No new logo can erase the memories of that period. And as long as the former prime minister continues to seek the public\u2019s trust, questions will keep resurfacing about the choices that led the country to that point.<\/p>\n
The Third Memorandum That Would Never Have Come
<\/h3>\n
If politics had symbols, the third bailout would be the symbol of the greatest contradiction of Tsipras\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n
– He was elected by denouncing the bailouts<\/i>
– He became prime minister promising to abolish them<\/i>
– He won the election promising to take a different path<\/i>
– And in the end, he signed a new memorandum<\/i><\/p>\n
This reality does not change, no matter how many times political rebranding is attempted. And as long as he talks about the future, his political opponents will continue to remind him of the gap between his promises and the final outcome.<\/p>\n
The Prespa Agreement, which has become a permanent political shadow
<\/h3>\n
If the referendum damaged his credibility and capital controls tarnished his government\u2019s economic image, the Prespes Agreement was perhaps the most profound political rift of his term.<\/p>\n
The agreement sparked massive backlash, protests, and political conflict that transcended narrow party lines. Thousands of citizens felt they had been ignored. A large segment of society believed that red lines that should never have been crossed had been violated.<\/p>\n
Mr. Tsipras may consider this debate a thing of the past. For many, however, it remains an unresolved issue. And that is why the Prespa Agreement continues to follow him like a political shadow in every attempt at a fresh start.<\/p>\n
The Return Without an Apology
<\/h3>\n
The most notable aspect of his interview was not what he said.<\/p>\n
It was what he didn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n
– There was no substantive self-criticism<\/i>
– There was no admission of mistakes<\/i>
– There was not even a single acknowledgment that the choices made by his administration caused deep wounds and political consequences<\/i><\/p>\n
On the contrary, the message was almost simplistic: Tsipras is back, and the country is called upon to trust him again.<\/p>\n
The big question
<\/h3>\n
The former prime minister has every right to return to the political forefront. That is not in dispute.<\/p>\n
What is in dispute is the premise on which he seems to be basing his return: that society has forgotten.<\/p>\n
– It has forgotten the referendum
– It has forgotten the bank closures
– It has forgotten the third memorandum
– It has forgotten the Prespa Agreement
– It has forgotten the party that made him prime minister
– And finally, he has forgotten the mess he left behind<\/p>\n
Alexis Tsipras\u2019s new political effort will be judged precisely on this question. Not by the new members. Not by the applause at rallies. But by whether citizens are willing to turn back the political clock and give a third chance to a man who has already had the first two.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alexis Tsipras is back with a new party, vying for power once again, but his government\u2019s past continues to weigh him down. Alexis Tsipras …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}