With sharp criticism of the opposition, special reference to the OPEKEPE scandal, the reforms introduced by the Constitutional Revision, and with an eye toward the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) and upcoming support measures, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the New Democracy parliamentary group. He reiterated that elections will take place on schedule — the “spring of 2027,” as he stated — at which point “the Constitutional Revision will have been completed,” adding that the party will “run as if elections were happening tomorrow.” The Prime Minister opened his address by marking the 52nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, stating: “We demand a just resolution of the Cyprus issue. I expect that a new momentum will emerge. Today’s meeting focuses on two key issues: the Constitutional Revision process and our preparations for the Thessaloniki Fair.”
Mitsotakis on the opposition: “They are mining the road to national renewal”
Launching a fierce attack on the opposition, he stated: “They are mining the road to a comprehensive national renewal. History will record this.” He also declared that a “tower of mud” had collapsed in reference to the opposition’s handling of the OPEKEPE case. “We decided to solve the problem at its root,” he noted, adding that “we were the only ones who voted for this important reform.” “We can make payments transparently — we are winning this battle. This is the great reform,” he emphasized regarding OPEKEPE and farmers. “At the Thessaloniki Fair we will be specific about Greece’s vision for 2030, with both reforms and concrete actions,” he added.
“The Thessaloniki Fair will be a mirror of truth for everyone,” the Prime Minister remarked. Directing fire at PASOK, Mitsotakis described the party’s stance on the Constitutional Revision as “unacceptable,” noting that he had expected an outright refusal from the other parties. “It is unacceptable for a supposedly institutional party like PASOK to agree with 15 of our positions on the Revision, only to hide behind a cowardly ‘present’ vote that effectively makes it absent from the battle for the modernization and progress of our country,” he said pointedly, adding that history will record “which party wants and is capable of confronting the rigidities of the past, and which forces prefer to remain awkward bystanders.” He also took aim at what he called a “toxic center that emits widespread confusion as the last refuge of a mismatched Babel, whose sole mission is to attack the government and New Democracy.” Referring to PASOK as a “supposedly serious” party, he noted that it “remembered to promise free transport tickets and a 13th pension payment, but forgot to tell us who they would tax.”
TIF as a “credibility test” — what will be announced
According to Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Thessaloniki International Fair will serve as a “credibility test” for New Democracy and all other parties alike. “We are focused on what society truly wants — visible solutions to real problems,” said Mitsotakis, adding that the party will be “specific in our plan for Greece 2030, with immediate measures as well as reforms that will deliver results gradually.” To that end, he announced that proposals from New Democracy MPs will be received by the office of Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis. According to Mitsotakis, the announcements at the TIF “will specifically target the middle class, with particular emphasis on the self-employed and small and medium-sized enterprises,” and he stressed there would be no annual list of promises, but rather a roadmap toward better years ahead. “Those who claim they will tax the wealthiest 1% — yet when they governed, taxed 99% of Greeks while cutting taxes only for casinos — will be judged. So will those who pose as serious but refuse to cost their own proposals, claiming the General Accounting Office makes ‘back-of-the-envelope calculations,’” he added, firing a clear shot at the opposition.
On the subject of the middle class, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated: “We will be specific in our plan for Greece 2030, with immediate measures as well as long-term interventions. Starting tomorrow, the Deputy Prime Minister’s office will receive your proposals by sector of government action. Our announcements will specifically target the middle class — the self-employed and small and medium-sized enterprises in particular. Do not expect an annual list of promises, but a roadmap toward the next, better years. We will not yield to the temptation of an excess of giveaways — I did not do so in 2018, nor in 2022. Above all, this year’s TIF — the last Exhibition before the spring elections — will be a credibility test for all political forces. And there we will counter false promises with the truth of the numbers. Those who claim they will tax the wealthiest 1% — yet when they governed, they taxed 99% of Greeks while cutting taxes only for casinos — and those who appear serious but refuse to cost their announcements, claiming the General Accounting Office makes ‘back-of-the-envelope calculations,’ will be judged.” He also took aim at PASOK: “At the TIF, the opposition’s empty handouts will be put to the test, as will those who, while wishing to appear serious, flatly refuse to provide costing for their own announcements.”
On the OPEKEPE case
“We took on the burden of responsibility that was ours. But we were the ones who exhausted every other available means and decided to tackle the problem at its root — by abolishing OPEKEPE and transferring its responsibilities to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). In the face of this reform, which was so heavily contested, every party that supposedly champions transparency was against it. We passed this important reform alone,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the OPEKEPE affair, adding: “I recall a meeting at Maximos Mansion, where colleagues came and presented a series of problems with payments. Many of these were resolved, and we demonstrated through the payments made at the end of June that we can process payments with full transparency — to the benefit of honest producers.
An entire political faction hung itself on the clothesline of lies and slander. Long-standing systemic irregularities were arbitrarily labeled scandals. Thirteen colleagues were unjustly accused, and a government was branded as a defendant by parties whose own MPs have faced far more immunity waivers.” “The presumption of innocence apparently applies only to far-left troublemakers. For 9 out of the 13, the case was archived. I was compelled to accept the resignations of three ministers out of a sense of propriety. And I am confident that for the remaining four cases, the proceedings will reach a final conclusion. And of course, that’s not all we heard. Being called a government of defendants was the mildest of it. Traitors, mafias, criminal organizations. These are all those who provide ideological oxygen to the flames of violence — leading to acts of arson, like the one targeting Vagia Nestoras.”
On developments in the Middle East
Referring to the renewed escalation in the Middle East and the new flashpoint in the Strait of Hormuz — which, as he noted, once again creates an unstable environment that automatically translates into rising fuel costs — Mitsotakis said: “It is our responsibility to continuously build barriers against imported inflation by exhausting every available fiscal margin.” He added that “these initiatives do not solve the problem entirely, but without these interventions, the impact of price increases would have been far greater.”
On the issue of migration, noting “I saw that Mr. Tsipras recently visited Lesvos and Mytilene — simultaneously,” he stated: “We remember the situation we inherited on the islands of the Northern Aegean.” He pointed out that the number of refugees and migrants had dropped “from 30,000 to just 230 today,” emphasizing: “This government was a key driver in transforming the entire EU’s migration policy.”
On the timing of the elections
Regarding the elections, Mr. Mitsotakis again confirmed they will be held in the spring of 2027. He described the upcoming vote as “the most critical battle we have fought. It will determine whether the country continues to progress or loses in a single moment what it has achieved through hard work over the past seven years.” He said that “Election Sunday” will be unique — there will be no “trial-run” protest votes, no “dress rehearsals” with so-called “messages,” and no room for risky gambles. Responding to the question of why a third term, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would seek re-election “so we don’t go back three terms in time.”
“Election Sunday must be treated as the most critical battle. That Sunday is one and only one. In these critical geopolitical times, experience holds great value. Building a new Greece takes effort and time. Our country cannot afford any more setbacks. In the next five years, everything will change. Which government will manage to harness technological development for the benefit of its citizens? These are the central messages we must carry to every corner of the country,” the Prime Minister said. “Our country can afford neither to go backwards, nor to be held hostage by governmental deadlock or inter-party horse-trading. It demands clear solutions, clear horizons, and a steady, experienced hand at the helm,” he added.
Closing his address, the Prime Minister stated: “Elections will be held in the spring of 2027 […] We have the initiative, just as Spain did yesterday — whoever holds the ball scores the goal — with good fitness and endurance for this marathon through to the spring ’27 elections, playing tough but keeping cool under provocation. We are a team, and teams win. Not so-called solo stars.” He concluded: “The elections may be in 2027, but we will run as if they were happening tomorrow.”
