“I believe in a government of progressive cooperation, which will also be a government of winners,” said, among other things, the president of SYRIZA. Alexis Tsipras in an interview he gave to the main ALPHA newscast.

Mr. Tsipras, commenting on today’s statements by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about pensioners, said that “the climate is not changing with this kind of benefits just before we go to the polls.”

“The middle class survives on vouchers”

He also noted that “they accused him of SYRIZA that he had a preferential policy, but he gave to the vulnerable, the weak. Today, the middle class survives on vouchers, and this is supposedly a liberal government.”

The President of SYRIZA-PS said that “we have come out of a long memorial period and this was an opportunity for the Greek economy for the first time to provide some of the benefits that we have institutionalized as permanent more than once and shortly before the elections.”

And he continued: “Today, while the Mitsotakis government has deprived pensioners of 7 billion by canceling the permanent 13th pension that we legally introduced in 2019 – this is about 4.5 billion in four years and 2.6 billion retroactively to pensioners – it announces 300 million. he didn’t give 7 billion,” he said and commented: “Sounds like a clue to get to the polls.”commented.

Mr. Tsipras said that the program he presented in Thessaloniki is line-itemized, “and indeed we foresee some increase, which is offset by increased income.” In particular, he said that “with 10 percent inflation, it is obvious that there should be an increase in the minimum wage and not only.” He noted that before inflation reached 10%, SYRIZA called for a floor of 880 euros and an annual price indexation and a 10% increase for civil servants.

He noted that when the purchasing power of an average pensioner decreases by 40% over the past year, and there is an increase in supermarkets, gasoline, energy, “then citizens have to live somehow.”

“SYRIZA offer is absolutely overpriced”

“With regard to pensions, we say very measuredly that we must give retroactive payments – retroactive payments are not on a permanent basis, they amount to 2.5 billion in three stages – and that the agreement that we have concluded and envisaged as permanent for the 13th pension will return within the framework of fiscal opportunities,” he stressed.

He also reiterated that SYRIZA’s proposal to reduce VAT and social security taxes to combat speculation is absolutely cost-effective “because it costs 3 billion a year, but at the same time due to maintaining high indirect taxes and with 10 percent inflation surpluses in public funds over 4 billion.” He accused Mr. Mitsotakis of “supporting this government speculation in order to be able to provide some subsidies, which, however, are also aimed at maintaining high prices in energy companies, refineries and supermarkets.”

“Elections of Big Surprises”

On the issue of wiretapping, Mr. Tsipras noted that “ND ministers have covered up wiretapping,” noting that “if a thief and a victim can sit at the same government table, it is a political issue.”

The President of SYRIZA-PS noted that Mr. Androulakis is implying that he will govern with the first party, which he says confirms what SYRIZA says about a progressive government with the first party SYRIZA.

“I believe in a government of progressive cooperation, which will also be a government of victors,” was the message of the president of the official opposition.

As for the polls, he stressed that “they are not a safe tool for predicting election results”, while, in his estimation, “it will be an election full of big surprises.”

With information from APE-MPE