With his eye on both the economy and the political balance of power going forward, Pavlos Marinakis laid out the strategy with which New Democracy is heading into elections on the evening of Wednesday, September 9. “We have what we have, and that’s what we can offer,” was the government spokesperson’s message on benefits, while on the political front he described an outright parliamentary majority as “the only achievable goal” for stable governance — without closing the door on PASOK should the ballot box make coalition-building necessary. Speaking on the ERTnews programme “At the Centre,” Marinakis mapped out New Democracy’s direction following the Thessaloniki International Fair, opening several fronts simultaneously: from the cost of living and tax relief to Alexis Tsipras, Antonis Samaras, and Greek-Turkish relations. He acknowledged that an outright majority is far from guaranteed today, yet insisted it remains the target, while also making clear: “We are not saying that if we fall short of a majority, ‘PASOK is out of the question.’”
Pavlos Marinakis: “We have what we have, and that’s what we can offer”
Commenting on the prime minister’s announcements at the Thessaloniki International Fair and the scope for additional measures, the government spokesperson left the door open to new steps, provided the necessary fiscal space can be created without new taxes. As he explained, for benefits to become permanent, two conditions must be met: revenues must grow through economic expansion and tackling tax evasion, while spending ceilings must simultaneously be respected. “One condition is that you collect the money,” he said, adding that this is being pursued through combating tax evasion and growing the economy. The second condition, he said, is “not exceeding spending ceilings.” He cited the creation of around 600,000 jobs, an increase in investment from 10% to 17.5% of GDP, and a doubling of exports from 20% to 40%, arguing that greater economic activity generates higher tax revenues even in the context of tax cuts.
Pavlos Marinakis acknowledged that the cost of living continues to squeeze households, with particularly acute problems in housing, supermarket prices, and energy costs for businesses. He rejected, however, the logic of intervening without secured resources, insisting that answers cannot be given with “money that isn’t there.” On calls to reduce VAT, he argued that each percentage point costs roughly €1 billion, and that when fiscal space is limited, the government chooses to prioritise cuts to direct taxes. “We delivered the largest reduction in income tax,” he stressed, arguing this is a tax that directly affects salaried workers, pensioners, and the self-employed.
“Tsipras claims the right to have many identities”
The government spokesperson was particularly sharp in his criticism of Alexis Tsipras, dismissing the notion of a fresh political start detached from his previous record in government. “Mr Tsipras claims the unique privilege […] of having many identities, of being politically reborn,” he said. He then raised the stakes even further: “When a person tells so many lies to so many people, I believe they do not have the ability — it is their right to ask — to have everything wiped clean.“
“An outright majority is the only achievable goal”
On the purely political front, Pavlos Marinakis insisted that winning an outright majority remains New Democracy’s electoral ambition, despite the gap that currently separates the ruling party from that goal. He described it as “the only achievable goal that leads to realistic governance,” while acknowledging that reaching it requires “hard work, results, and humility.“
The real interest, however, lies in the scenario of what happens if ND emerges as the largest party without an outright majority. In that case, he said, every avenue for forming a government would have to be explored. And he pointed directly toward PASOK’s Harilaou Trikoupi headquarters: “We are not saying that if we fall short of a majority, ‘PASOK is out of the question.’” At the same time, he criticised PASOK’s current stance and the political choices of Nikos Androulakis, questioning how a party that — as he put it — co-signs a motion of no confidence alongside Zoe Konstantopoulou could then go on to govern alongside New Democracy. “I cannot imagine how it could come and co-govern with us,” he noted, while also reminding that “a coalition government is a two-way exercise.”
Marinakis takes aim at Samaras
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis was notably critical of former prime minister Antonis Samaras, against the backdrop of speculation about the possible creation of a new party. Referring to Samaras’s criticism of the government, he remarked: “When Mr Samaras makes a video and completely dismisses the government’s entire policy, from the economy to healthcare […] it raises a question for me.” “How is it possible that a government spent four years not getting all of this wrong, only to have gotten everything wrong within two or three years?” he asked, adding that this is a question the former prime minister himself will need to answer politically.
“We have one and only one difference with Turkey”
On Greek-Turkish relations, Pavlos Marinakis acknowledged that greater tension has been recorded in recent times, but assessed that there is currently no risk of major escalation. He reiterated Athens’s longstanding position on the extent of its differences with Ankara: “We have one difference with Turkey: the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the continental shelf on the basis of international law […] and no other difference.” On the possibility of a meeting between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York, he said it is not currently on the prime minister’s schedule, without ruling it out.
“There remain two genders”
Turning to the debate over the so-called woke agenda and same-sex marriage, Pavlos Marinakis argued that the two issues are not the same thing. “There remain two genders,” he said, while also noting that same-sex families are legally equal — without personally describing them as a “traditional family.” He did, however, admit that the government “fell into the trap” of focusing for months on that particular debate, and that the backlash it generated alienated a portion of New Democracy’s traditional voters.
