With strong dilemmas and a message about the end of four years will come in two weeks in TEF Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisdespite the explosive atmosphere created by the wiretapping case, as well as ongoing secret polls and opinion polls that show government corruption exists but is “controlled”, prompting proposals for early appeals to the polls.

“The prime minister doesn’t even listen to early election scenarios,” those close to him say, and he remains firm in his choice to lead the country into another – dual – election battle in the spring. If Mr. Mitsotakis were to accept the early election proposals, they say, he would be vulnerable to accusations from the opposition that he is trying to “escape” at the risk of new wiretap revelations. At the same time, he will focus on a “single-themed” pre-election period, with a “permanent ball in the wiretapping field,” which, of course, is far from beneficial to the ND.

The bottom line, however, is that the prime minister appears to be putting his own political interests ahead of the country’s priorities. Mr. Mitsotakis described and will describe again from the TIF platform a “difficult” winter due to the war in Ukraine and the wild rise in energy prices. And the situation in Germany, as well as the dramatic positions of foreign leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, confirm it. Therefore, it would be adventurous in the midst of this moment to lead the country into a double electoral contest.

The choice to run out of four years does not change the fact that, starting with yesterday’s confrontation between Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Tsipras in Parliament and the next critical juncture at TIF, the country is entering a protracted and particularly “tough” pre-election period. In light of the foregoing, the presence of the Prime Minister on the two days of 10 and 11 September in Thessaloniki will have clearly stronger political characteristics than the previous three.

The prime minister will compare the actions of the ND government. with a four-year rule of SYRIZA and will present a dilemma to the citizens: whether the citizens want the country to keep moving forward or return to the period before 2019, emphasizing that “nothing is certain, but everything is at stake” in the whole range of policies concerning citizens. .

In particular, Mr. Mitsotakis will not only focus on the economy and tax cuts, as opposed to excessive taxation, especially on the middle class, imposed by SYRIZA, but will also expand to issues such as immigration and security, education reforms, strengthening public health and digital transformation. countries. In essence, that is, he will present a reformist narrative with which the ND will go to the polls.

According to the same sources, Mr. Mitsotakis:

• He will make a critical assessment of his tenure in government at the moment. In other words, he will refer to such successes as the effective management of national affairs, the crisis in the Euros and the pandemic, as well as the return of the country to economic normality with an exit from increased surveillance and large GDP growth. . However, he also acknowledges the mistakes made and efforts are being made to prevent them from happening again, typified by last year’s catastrophic fires and the Androulakis case.

• He will present economic policies and support measures for the energy crisis for 2023, as well as a “package” of commitments for the next four years, if N.D. win the election. Mr. Mitsotakis’ announcements for the next four years will be based on further reductions in contributions and taxes, including ENFIA, as well as the abolition of formal memorandum fees, such as a claim fee, if the narrow tax caps created by the support measures against energy costs do not fully allow abolish it from 2023. The government also has as a “weapon” the fact that it is in full compliance with the commitments made in 2019, unlike SYRIZA, which had the flag of the famous Thessaloniki program, but eventually led the country to the third memorandum. For the current period, Mr. Mitsotakis will clarify how measures such as subsidized electricity bills, fuel pass, heating allowance and punctuality checks will continue to be applied. At the same time, he will refer to the further strengthening of the incomes of large groups of the population by raising pensions, abolishing the solidarity contribution to the state and a new increase in the minimum wage. However, his associates talk about a “balanced” package, as the markets should not be given a false signal, as the main goal for the country remains investment grade.

The prime minister will go to TIF knowing that the government has been hurt by the wiretapping case, but also that the political scene is by no means being turned on its head. According to Megaros Maximos investigations, as well as polls that come to light, N.D. retreating from the July polls by more than one percentage point, SYRIZA registers a slight increase, while PASOK seems to remain at the same level. Another important parameter is that other issues remain a priority for citizens, the main ones being accuracy, electricity prices, Greek-Turkish and immigration issues.

Government sources add that the “loss” to the government is less than in the aftermath of the 2021 summer fires. Then N.D. (according to Pulse) lost two percentage points, falling from 36.5% in June to 34.5% in September, but then began to stabilize, albeit at a slightly lower level.

It is clear that it is impossible to make a full assessment of the consequences of wiretapping right away, since the issue will remain relevant due to the creation of a commission of inquiry. However, in the Maxim Palace, which the Investigative Committee plans to start work on a “hard” timeframe so that the political confrontation turns the page relatively soon, the prevailing opinion is that the government’s expenses can be gradually covered, provided, of course, that there are no new openings.

In fact, according to some reports, new data that was formed during the complete rupture of relations between N.D. and PASOK can finally make it easier for Mr. Mitsotakis to achieve his goal of self-reliance through re-elections as SYRIZA registers no potential overthrow, no other realistic government solution is in sight, while the priority for most voters is to ensure political stability .

For others, holding elections at the end of the four-year period could give time for at least partial normalization of relations between the Netherlands and the Netherlands. and Harilaou Trikoupis to prevent a complete political impasse.