SYRIZA’s parliamentary spokesperson Nikos Pappas provided his own stance regarding Maria Karystianou and her movement, the expulsion of the party’s MEP Nikolas Farantouris, while also answering questions about Alexis Tsipras, during a comprehensive interview on Parapolitika 90.1 radio, on the show “She and I,” with Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gantona. As Mr. Pappas emphasized, “we now treat Maria Karystianou as a political figure.” At another point, he stressed that she does not express a new position and that SYRIZA does not treat her as an opponent but rather New Democracy and Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Regarding the expulsion from SYRIZA’s European group of Nikolas Farantouris, he indicated implicitly but clearly that the expulsion was correct, since “he was a SYRIZA MP and simultaneously expressed support for establishing another party. You cannot be available for everything. He made other choices.”
At the same time, Mr. Pappas spoke about the guilt of the two protected witnesses, insisting that the Novartis case is a “scandal,” discussed agricultural mobilizations while exercising fierce criticism of government practices, and simultaneously launching an attack accusing New Democracy of “cover-up” on the Tempe issue, while not failing to refer to SYRIZA’s goals, future plans and the need for unity.
Nikos Pappas on Maria Karystianou and Nikolas Farantouris
Regarding Maria Karystianou and her movement, Nikos Pappas emphasized the following: “Our opponent is Kyriakos Mitsotakis, not Maria Karystianou. She has not expressed a new opinion but a very old one about the third and ‘worst’ memorandum. It’s the view that flourished in New Democracy’s bowels, it’s not political judgment. Maria Karystianou is a political figure. She asks to be judged as a political figure. There are relatives who choose not to enter politics, that doesn’t concern us, but it’s her right what she will do.”
“Mr. Farantouris was a SYRIZA MP and simultaneously expressed support for establishing another party. You cannot be available for everything. He made other choices,” he added.
At another point he emphasized: “Our European group asked Maria Karystianou to present the facts, we don’t regret that. We want investigators to have research powers, we don’t want them to bury the facts.”
“The fact that there is no separation between Left and Right is not a position.”
“The Tempe issue caused the largest mobilization since the birth of the Greek state. The opposition’s handling was appropriate, we were rightly on the front line. However, we’re talking about covering up responsibilities, no answers have been given. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has violated Parliament’s research capabilities, Article 86, in order to cover up his own people.”
“A preliminary investigation is needed during which research is conducted.”
On Alexis Tsipras
“The time has passed when people will see an initiative that will open the political game. SYRIZA insists on reaching unity, manifesto, programmatic principles and election of a leader so that there are no damages. Not to make the mistakes of the French. They created ballots but didn’t find a prime ministerial candidate,” was the brief statement Nikos Pappas made about Alexis Tsipras.
“The patriotic forces have responsibility, SYRIZA has extended its hand and paid for it with proportional representation. We were talking about this possibility. The progressive person who wants Mitsotakis to leave must have a card in their hands,” he added.
On agricultural mobilizations – “The government divides the agricultural world”
Nikos Pappas exercised fierce criticism of the government regarding agricultural mobilizations: “The government has submitted a medium-term plan saying that funds for agricultural development will be 400 million less. This is Greece’s commitment to fiscal figures. We ask loudly: where will they cut from? The government divides the agricultural world.”
“We say it can be done differently within Europe, that’s how we negotiated. Some didn’t negotiate for money, they negotiated positions.”
When asked about the Prime Minister’s dialogue with farmers, Nikos Pappas answered: “Obviously I would receive all farmers, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the high priest of cover-up, he doesn’t want an investigation by OPEKEPE. He protects people, keeps them in the ministerial council.”
“I have seen so far that farmers have a large wave of support from social groups, they have union action. They mobilize for public health and our food security, something the government questions,” he emphasized elsewhere.
“The farmers are right, they will find the wave of solidarity to strengthen it. It would be wishful thinking for them to be vindicated,” he noted.
“It would be wishful thinking for dialogue to happen with open windows. The issue is to discuss fiscal space, not tea and sympathy. Owing everywhere means I don’t have fertilizers,” he remarked.
On the guilt of the two former protected witnesses in the Novartis case
Regarding the Justice decision on the guilt of the two former protected witnesses in Novartis, with the special names Maximos Sarafis and Aikaterini Kelesi, he proceeded to the following statement and admission: “We made a big mistake, we should have proceeded with preliminary investigations for the Health Ministers, evidence would have appeared.”
“Novartis was a big scandal that damaged the public, the files shouldn’t have gone to Justice like that.”
Listen here live to the entire interview
