SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras repeated on Tuesday his challenge and invitation to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to face him in a televised debate, while remarking on the prime minister's absence from the last parliamentary session.
"Mitsotakis is absent again. He said we have had a great many confrontations in parliament. He does not want any more and he also does not want a televised debate, that is how much faith he has in himself - or rather how much he is trusted by the spin doctors who coach him," said the opposition leader.
He also accused the prime minister of "breaking his promises during the government's four year term", saying the tax cuts were "only for high incomes and large fortunes, with no reduction of indirect taxation," and that the government had "failed to meet its targets for increasing investments" while living standards had "plummeted due to soaring prices".
Meanwhile, Mitsotakis said on a social media post that "We have a plan for the future, which he accompanied with a relevant video about the government's work, with an emphasis on the economy and the slogan "Steadily and Boldly Forward".
"We had a plan for growth, for reducing unemployment, for increasing the minimum wage. And we have a plan for the future. To go boldly forward, with better wages for all. With decent public health. With a better state," Mitsotakis said.
In the relevant video, he notes the following points:
- In four years we carried out reforms
- We increased the credibility of the country
- We reduced 50 taxes and contributions
- In this way we made Greece more investment-friendly
- And we achieved all-time records in foreign direct investment and exports
- Thus, growth reached 6% and unemployment decreased by seven points
- That's why we were able to raise the minimum wage by 20%
- And pensions by 7.5%
- And to support society in every difficult moment
- This is what we mean when we say growth for all. And this is how we will continuen - Steadily and Boldly Forward.
At the same time, the head of opposition PASOK - Movement for Change's parliamentary group, Michalis Katrinis, in an interview with Mega TV on Tuesday regarding the legislation designed to block the party founded by convicted former Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kasidiaris from participating in the elections, underlined that, according to rulings issued by Greek justice, the members of Golden Dawn who entered the Greek parliament a few years ago "were members of a criminal organisation."
Katrinis added that "the government is responsible because it delayed in bringing the relevant amendment to Parliament, while it did not accept PASOK's proposals for making the final provision more complete, such as that the final decision should be taken by the plenary of the Supreme Court, given that it is a body of heightened prestige and responsibility".
He said that "PASOK advocates that all the democratic parties should stand against these criminal elements. All this 'confrontation' favours and reinforces the 'anti-systemic' image of the far right. It is the duty of all political parties to send a message of unity and a united response to such phenomena."
"We cannot allow, in the cradle of democracy, Nazis, fascists and criminal elements to take advantage of people's anger and discontent and re-enter the sacred space of parliament."
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