Greek ruling party stresses stability as opposition highlights growing living cost crisis on eve of elections

By Ahmet Gencturk and Derya Gulnaz Ozcan

ATHENS (AA) – On the eve of general elections that will determine who will lead Greece for the next four years, the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party emphasized the need for stability as opposition parties highlighted a growing living cost crisis.

Greece, with its economy mostly dependent on the service sector and tourism, was struck hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Greek economy consequently contracted by nearly 10% in 2020.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February last year, did not lead to a decline in economic activity but made life much more expensive for millions of Greek households due to skyrocketing food and energy prices.

Also, the so-called “Greek Watergate” scandal which erupted last summer and revealed that many of the country’s politicians, journalists, and businessmen, including opposition PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis, were under surveillance by the country’s secret services, led to strong reactions from Greek opposition parties and partly from European media, but the government survived it.

Even the deadly Feb. 28 train accident that killed at least 57 people did not unseat the government as the opposition hoped, although it initially mobilized the pro-opposition public to the streets across the country.

Speaking to Anadolu, Aliki Katoka, a senior campaign executive of ND, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had to deal with a number of major problems, including the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war, the COVID pandemic, and the influx of migrants during his tenure.

“Admittedly, he successfully addressed all these. For the next four years, if elected, increasing pensioners’ incomes will be among his priorities,” she said.

Also speaking to Anadolu, Sotiris Alexiou, the secretary of the main opposition SYRIZA party’s youth organization, stressed that the party is determined to implement economic policies that would favor common people and consequently reduce income inequality.

“In Europe, in recent decades, policies which generally overlooked the problems of the lay people alienated the masses from politics. However, change in Greece and in Europe is possible through participating in elections. Hence, they should strongly take part in politics and cast votes to determine their own future,” he said.

Yannis Papagiorgopoulos, a political advisor in the social democratic PASOK-KINAL party, agreed that the country has been experiencing a major living cost crisis manifested particularly in high energy costs and rents.

“If we take over, increasing the prosperity of the nation and restoring the rule of law will be our main concerns,” he said.

Johan Schultz, a campaign volunteer with the MeRA25 party of former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, said the ND and PASOK are establishment parties that ignore the interests of common people in Greece.

“Since 2008, economic policies of different Greek governments were about the interests of capital holders, not the common people,” he said.

Efi Zafitiou, a senior campaign executive of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the fourth largest and oldest party in the country, claimed that the ruling ND and main opposition SYRIZA parties are two sides of the same coin although they fiercely attack each other at every opportunity in the media.

“They are, however, based on the same principles and strategies. The KKE is the only party that proposes pro-people, anti-establishment policies,” she said.