“Antonis Samaras is clearly forming a new party. His appearance at the Supreme Court was essentially the founding declaration of his party — I think it’s now beyond doubt that he’s creating a new political movement. He won’t be able to reshape the center-right landscape; there may be some reshuffling within the hard right, but I don’t think New Democracy will suffer significant losses,” stated Deputy Finance Minister and New Democracy MP, Dimitris Markopoulos, speaking on Parapolitika 90.1 during the show “Εκείνη και εγώ” with Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gkantona. He further noted that Mr. Samaras is pursuing a personal agenda rather than a genuine political one.
“My assessment is that, for example, Foni Logikis will not enter parliament precisely because of Samaras’s party,” he added.
Markopoulos on Tsipras
When asked about Alexis Tsipras, he said: “I had predicted that Tsipras would shake up the left-wing political scene. Of course, he’s not the same man — he has imposed harsh measures himself. The fact that, after all this time, he’s offering a kind of mea culpa shows he knows he can’t keep running a sterile opposition campaign against New Democracy. Mr. Tsipras, the man behind the Katrougalos pension law and all the hardship it brought to retirees, is in no position to lecture anyone.”
“He should also tell us exactly what he’s apologizing for. Is he referring to the personal income gap that we have since reduced? In Ithaca, he’s playing a blame game targeting individuals, not the very policies he himself signed off on,” he said pointedly, also noting that Tsipras has drawn significant support from PASOK’s former voter base.
On Adonis Georgiadis
“Adonis Georgiadis, I believe, stated that Mr. Kontonis made certain claims, and Tsipras has yet to take any legal action over them. Many legislative actions during the Tsipras era carry the scent of scandal. In my view, whatever exists should be placed openly before the public.”
“When I come out and declare myself the most honest person in the room, you understand that this reeks of arrogance. Tsipras claims to be the most honorable — but is it honorable to want to publicly humiliate ten political opponents with fabricated charges, to want to imprison them, simply to win an election?”
“Is it honorable that his own ministers were convicted for a series of offenses? The honesty meter is best put aside — let the Greek people be the judges,” he added.
On Trump’s statements and their impact on oil prices
“Things are so fragile and economies so interconnected that you can see how easily everything can be turned upside down,” he said, noting that some have attempted to pin rising costs on a so-called “Mitsotakis inflation.” “Greece is looking to keep itself well-insulated,” he made clear.
“People talk about the policy of primary surpluses — just look at how many unpredictable events and policy shocks can emerge if Greece is not fiscally disciplined and doesn’t maintain some level of surplus. Those surpluses were what helped us during COVID. In the previous period, there was a policy of capping profits on a range of products; now we’re seeking to freeze prices — what more do people want? This is where we stand. What we are pursuing and delivering is a steady, continuous rise in household income,” he stated.
