One of the widely circulated “arguments” of the opposition on the OPECEP case is that with illegal agricultural subsidies in the 2023 elections, Crete turned blue! <\/p>\n
In fact, SYRIZA Kostas Arvanitis<\/b>, in a TV interview (Open), openly claimed that… the 2023 elections were “rigged”. “I will say it openly. The 2023 election was rigged<\/b>,” he said. And he questioned: “How did Crete go from green and red to blue? Or Western Macedonia?” So they claim that New Democracy touched 41% because of… OPEKEPE! <\/p>\n
Apparently Mr. Arvanitis and his comrades forgot the orgy that preceded the 2019 European elections, which eventually led to the early elections of July 2019, as New Democracy was at 33.12% and Syriza ten points lower (23.76%).<\/b> As we all know, the European elections of 2019 took place on 26 May. And there is no longer any doubt that in those European elections we were faced with a widespread abuse of power, during which the SYRIZA government, with melon and knife in hand,<\/b> opened the floodgates of truncated benefits and promises. <\/p>\n
However, the electoral abuse of power was not limited to the distribution of benefits, the reduction of VAT, the 100 instalments for the regulation of debts and the eleven amendments a few days before the polls. <\/p>\n
The government’s pre-election propaganda “spoke” to various categories of citizens with announcements, benefits and proclamations up to the last minute, which went unnoticed in the general flurry of activity. <\/p>\n
That is, the Syriza government played its part until the last minute before the election, handing out collective buffers<\/b>. <\/p>\n
Because they knew that if they lost the European elections, the debacle of the national elections would follow. As it happened!<\/p>\n
Two days before the European elections, i.e. on 24 May 2019, money literally… rained:<\/b> payment of June pensions, payment of child benefits (170 million to over 730,000 beneficiaries), welfare, disability and food benefits (65 million to 155,000 beneficiaries), housing benefit (50 million to 230.000 beneficiaries) and even retroactively from 1 January, payment of Social Solidarity Income<\/b> (the repainted minimum guaranteed income, 52 million to 255,000 beneficiaries), housing assistance allowance, expatriate allowance, while Tsipras promised a 50 euro increase in all pensions.<\/p>\n
On the same day, information was circulated about triple increase of the “salary” of soldiers from 8.70 to 30 euros per month<\/b>, but eventually the “information” was confirmed under New Democracy! On the same day, the approval of the Special Urban Planning Study for the development of the Kozani Railway Station was announced. Also on the same day we were informed by the Ministry of Citizen Protection about the extension of the agreement with the Ministry of Defence for the 424 General Military Training Hospital in Thessaloniki. “We are working on the inclusion of civilian employees of the National Guard and their families in the health care of military hospitals,” we were informed from official lips. On May 20, the Ministry of Citizen Protection also announced the establishment of a Regional Clinic of the Hellenic Police at the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens, by decision of the Chief of the Hellenic Police! On May 23, they also remembered to issue the building permit for the rehabilitation of the Refugee Housing on Alexandra Avenue. <\/p>\nAnnouncements for the farmers<\/h3>\n
Of course, the farmers were mainly honored:<\/p>\n
-The Ministry of Rural Development remembered to send to the European Commission the file for the registration of… fava beans of Amorgos… <\/p>\n
-…and announced an amendment for the resolution of property disputes on land outside the plan. <\/p>\n
– Fines for customs duties reduced by up to 75%!<\/p>\n
-OPEKEPE paid 11 million euros to 7,222 beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
-ELGA paid 6.5 million euros to over 5,000 farmers and livestock farmers.<\/p>\n
-The Government Gazette for the granting of minor aid of 9.1 million euros was published. EUR 9.5 million to support the goat and sheep farmers of Crete (who were however affected by the natural disaster of early 2019).<\/p>\n
Also, on 20 May, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food announced the free concession to the Municipality of Palamas Karditsa of two properties for the creation of a model farm<\/b>. The announcement came after much drumbeat along with the announcement of the inclusion of two irrigation projects. At the same time, the final list of 32 agricultural infrastructure projects that met the conditions for inclusion for funding from the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and the Public Investment Programme was published, while it was announced that an additional \u20ac85 million is committed for the measure to support organic farming and another \u20ac5 million for the measure to support organic livestock farming. <\/p>\n
On the same day, the Ministry of Rural Development remembered to announce the free concession of the warehouses of the Katerini Smoking Station<\/b> for a social pharmacy and medical clinic, as well as new solidarity actions. <\/p>\n
A decision that was signed only on 17 May! On May 20, the Ministry of Economy and Development remembered, as announced, to submit a request (only on May 15) to the EU Solidarity Fund for the restoration of the damage caused by the floods that hit Crete on… 23 February 2019! On 21 May, they also remembered to approve 48 million euros for restoration projects from the natural disaster of… February, in the Regional Unit of Rethymnon. Of course, the government’s policies for the islands were also announced!<\/p>\n
Shortly before the European elections, that is, at the end of the school year, the Region of Attica remembered to sign the contract with the Ministry of Education for the supply of equipment to the music schools of Attica<\/b>. Just then they remembered to announce the establishment of a Port Authority in Aliveri Evia, a Port Department in Arkitsa in Fthiotida, the upgrading of the Dyton School and the… launching of a School of Merchant Marine Engineering in Kalymnos. <\/p>\n
In addition, the same ministry (Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy) announced an increase in the salaries <\/b>of the IGOX (Private Temporary Staff) teachers at the Merchant Navy Executive Training Centres, the Firefighting Rescue Schools and the Public School of Merchant Navy\/Metraining of Seafarers. The Government Gazette was published on 17 May! <\/p>\n
On May 21 also the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy remembered to issue a notice for recruitment of teaching and technical staff at the Merchant Marine Academies! With applications starting on… May 24, that is, the Friday before the Sunday elections.<\/p>\n
Then the blessed time came for the OAED to approve a one-time financial aid of 1,000 euros to former employees of four companies. <\/b>May 22 proved to be the right date for the Syriza bureaucrats to unanimously approve by the Board of Directors of the Public Enterprise for Gas Distribution Networks (DEDA) the immediate hiring, with an open-ended contract, of the “contractor” workers. And the Ministry of Environment proceeded to the… pre-approval of the Special Spatial Plan for the fire-affected area of Nea Makris and Rafina, pursuant to a law passed in… 2016! Then they remembered that they had to include in the action “Digital Jump” 22 business plans of the Region of Central Greece. <\/p>\n
And it was not only these, since on May 20, it was announced that from Wednesday 22 May started in the Municipality of Heraklion the regulation of debts in 100 installments under Law 4611\/17-5-2019.<\/b> On the same day, in a pompous (pre-election) press conference, it was announced the increase in the budget for the Program “Reconciliation of Family and Professional Life” to 270 million. Also, on May 20, it was announced that the amount of 9.6 million euros from the NSRF of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace would be used to finance energy upgrading projects for buildings, health services and Local Spatial Plans in the Regional Unit of Evros. <\/p>\n
On the same day, the Ministry of Economy and Development and the Special Secretariat of ERDF&TA announced that they had planned and would soon issue the relevant call for a \u20ac35 million action exclusively to boost Roma entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n
On that day, Tuesday afternoon, the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity credited the alleged 13th pension to 7 accounts.700 former civil servants who were receiving a temporary pension from the Single Payment Authority.<\/p>\n
On May 21, the Ministry of Labor approved a decision by the OAED Board to allocate the amount of about 350,000 euros for the participation of the children of employees in the camping program for the year 2019. Always on May 21, the Ministry of Labor announced that the second payment of the beneficiaries of the Housing Allowance (about 50 million euros to 230,000 beneficiaries) would be made on the Friday before the elections! <\/p>\n
In fact, it was announced that the allowance would be given… retroactively from 1 January 2019 to all those who have an electronic lease in their name as of that date and applied in April. To all this, add that in an interview on May 20 (radio 24\/7), Tsipras said that… “now the 13th pension has been given”, which… “is equivalent to the old Easter gift” and that the government’s goal is… “if there is the fiscal space, to give a pension at Christmas”! <\/p>\n
In short, what we watched on the eve of the 2019 European elections was the epitome of panicked pre-election buffoonery.<\/b> But now they have “forgotten” all that and say that the 2023 election was “rigged”. They are perfectly suited to Theophrastus’s<\/b> quote “Be ashamed of yourself and you will shame no one else.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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