The president of the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), Alexis Tsipras, held a press conference on Wednesday, September 9, on the sidelines of the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), just days after presenting his party’s program in Thessaloniki. During the press conference, Parapolitika journalist Eleni Kalogeropoulos posed a pointed question about ELAS’s polling figures, which hover around 17 to 18%, and the so-called “ceiling” that political rivals have attributed to the party. Tsipras’s response was clear and unequivocal: “my primary goal is not polling percentages — it is the strategic and electoral defeat of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”
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The journalist’s question, Tsipras’s answer on his strategy, and ELAS’s real objective
At the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair press conference, Parapolitika journalist Eleni Kalogeropoulos raised a question that cut to the heart of the political reality: “With polling numbers of 17 to 18 percent, how does ELAS plan to break through the so-called ceiling that political opponents have assigned to it?” She noted that the government believes these numbers pose no serious threat — and asked Tsipras to respond directly to that assessment.
Tsipras opened his response by noting that “whether or not he poses a threat is evident from the way the government has treated him from the very first moment of his return.” He then candidly clarified that he did not come back to the political stage with a specific electoral percentage in mind. As he emphasized at the TIF, his return was driven by “the need to restore balance to a political system that lacks an alternative pole of power.” Tsipras explained that he decided to re-enter the arena precisely because there was no realistic prospect of defeating Kyriakos Mitsotakis — adding with a touch of humor that had there been one, he would have simply written a second book.
Responding directly to Eleni Kalogeropoulos, Tsipras made his position clear: “the goal is not limited to figures like 15, 17, 18 or 20 percent. On the contrary, the primary objective is the strategic and electoral defeat of the government and of Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the next elections.” The president of the Greek Left Alliance declared his firm determination to do everything in his power to achieve that goal — while acknowledging, as he stressed at the TIF press conference, that the final decision ultimately rests with the Greek people and their democratic judgment.
Watch the video below to see Eleni Kalogeropoulos’s question and Alexis Tsipras’s full response:
