The government is placing its full weight on the economy — the arena where every election is ultimately decided. All signs point to elections being held toward the end of next spring, by which time the impact of the support and relief measures that Prime Minister Mitsotakis is set to announce at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) will have already reached citizens’ pockets and business coffers. These measures will focus primarily on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and self-employed professionals.
“The Prime Minister is sincere — he will hold elections in May,” said President of the Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas on Friday evening, following the traditional ceremony marking the restoration of democracy. “In the spring — we’ve already said as much,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Parapolitika when asked about the election timeline at the same event. When pressed further on the specific month — prompted by the reference to May — he replied with a smile: “Honestly, I don’t go to sleep and wake up staring at election dates.”
Read also: Mitsotakis announces extra diesel price cut for August — an additional €0.10 per litre, bringing total discount to €0.15
He mentioned that he plans to take his summer vacation in August — though this week is packed with commitments, from his current visit to Salzburg where he is meeting Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, to a cabinet meeting on Thursday. He did, however, reveal during the same conversation that he has asked all Maximos Mansion staff to return from their summer holidays “by the evening of August 16th” — presumably so that the final phase of TIF preparations can begin the following morning, Monday.
In the last polling survey before the pollsters themselves went on their summer break (Marc–Proto Thema), the projected electoral results place New Democracy (ND) at 30.8%, a commanding 14-point lead over ELAS (SYRIZA) under Alexis Tsipras, which stands at 16.8%, while PASOK holds steady in third place at 11%. In terms of raw voting intention — before undecided voters are factored in — ND stands at 27.3%, compared to 14.8% for ELAS and 9.5% for PASOK.
In his Sunday Facebook post, the Prime Minister returned to the theme of the economy and the government’s ongoing initiatives ahead of TIF — including the latest fuel price intervention. “Our country cannot influence what happens beyond its borders. But we are doing everything we can to limit the consequences for our citizens. The 10-cent reduction on petrol and the 5-cent reduction on diesel, financed by the refineries, are already in effect. In addition, we have decided that the state will cover an extra reduction on diesel fuel for the entire month of August — a further €0.10 per litre — bringing the total discount to €0.15.”
Commenting on the cost of this measure, he described it as “a targeted intervention worth €30 million, aimed not only at supporting professionals and the transport sector, but also at containing price increases that ripple through the entire supply chain.” He also pledged further action in the coming period: “You can be certain that, within the limits of our economy’s capacity, we are supporting and will continue to support society against every external challenge — not with empty promises, but with action.” Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, speaking to Real News, echoed this message, stressing that “the government has proven that when there is a need, it acts — always within the country’s real fiscal constraints. The margins are not unlimited, and we will not promise money that does not exist. But that does not mean we will leave society without support.”
Staying on the subject of the economy, Mr. Mitsotakis spoke about “the new National Development Program, with a total budget of €23 billion drawn exclusively from national resources, which will serve as the country’s central development tool for the next five-year period from 2026 to 2030, complementing the EU cohesion funds we are pursuing for the 2028–2034 programming period.” He stressed that the government’s goal is “for these resources to make a real difference in every corner of Greece, funding critical needs — from roads, schools and hospitals, to water supply projects, digital services, support for small and medium-sized businesses, housing, and demographic policy.”
Also launching today is the online platform for enrolling debtors in the new out-of-court debt settlement mechanism, which now covers approximately one million additional eligible debtors. These are individuals with debts owed to the state (tax authority and social security fund EFKA), banks, and property management companies, who can now restructure total debts exceeding €5,000 — down from the previous threshold of €10,000. Under the new mechanism, debts to the tax authority and EFKA can be restructured in up to 240 instalments, while debts to banks and servicers can be spread over up to 420 instalments.
