On Sunday afternoon, Nikos Androulakis, president of PASOK, once again presented his proposal for political change through elections during the traditional press conference at the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair. In a press conference lasting approximately three hours, Nikos Androulakis answered all questions while outlining his government program proposals and appeared confident once again that “political change” is achievable. “A PASOK victory in the elections means victory for you,” was the message Androulakis sent, reiterating that “we want the lead, even by just one vote,” while noting that “I neither divided nor deceived the Greek people, nor do I have protectors.”
Responding to government sources that attacked him harshly on Sunday morning regarding PASOK’s proposals, Nikos Androulakis stated that PASOK’s “costed” program “gives meaning to the word reform, making justice work, with the core of changes starting from the state itself.” Meanwhile, answering a question from “Parapolitika” journalist Andreas Papadopoulos about reports that Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis had informed New Democracy MP Christos Boukoros that he was being wiretapped regarding OPEKEPE, he replied that he expects justice to deal with this specific issue.
Androulakis responds to “Parapolitika”: We expect Greek justice to call Mr. Mylonakis
“We expect Greek justice to call Mr. Mylonakis and learn the truth. Nothing from Mr. Mitsotakis’ environment would surprise me. We’ve seen it all! They’re capable of anything. They have no measure, no respect for institutions, no respect for society. Their closest associates have become protagonists in scandals that have exposed the country internationally. The question is what justice does,” the PASOK president characteristically stated. Also answering a “Parapolitika” question about housing, he said it “is a right and not an expensive privilege for the few.”
Read: Androulakis at TIF: “No” to cooperations that undermine our program – Elections for political change
Androulakis: “Political change passes through PASOK”
Asked whether PASOK is ready for an electoral contest, he clearly answered that “if the state doesn’t change, we won’t achieve anything. For us, political change passes through PASOK because we have a program for public health and public education that are declining, citizens see that their children need better public schools, that better hospitals are required, the cost of housing is prohibitive.” “We have the program,” he continued and emphasized again, as in his TIF speech, that it wasn’t created by communication experts and companies.
Regarding the rejection of any post-election cooperation with New Democracy, he said that “PASOK victory and New Democracy defeat means turning the page.” “Mitsotakis doesn’t represent the middle class (…) Tsipras with Kammenos collapsed the institutions. And Mitsotakis organized a wiretapping para-state. He didn’t allow justice to do its job,” he commented elsewhere.
Responding about inflation and high prices, he said these two became “a policy tool because from indirect taxes the state takes billions and returns a small percentage to citizens.” “The market doesn’t function, there are no rules. The free market that New Democracy talks about is an unruly market and this shows. That’s why inflation persists. So rules and control are needed,” added the opposition leader. Indeed, attacking the government, he characterized it as “traffic cop of oligopolies, with no intention to limit them with market rules.”
“I didn’t come to TIF to distribute the fiscal space created by New Democracy. I had the responsibility to present another plan for the state, development and institutions. This model will bring better life, better production,” he noted responding to criticism from government sources. “I presented another plan. A plan that will bring better life and more production,” he continued, emphasizing that “our attention is on the country’s public finances. And we have another vision for development,” Nikos Androulakis added.
Explaining what he meant about leading even by one vote, he said “PASOK victory is victory for you, I tell the people. Let’s act before it’s too late.” Still wanting to send a message in all directions, he made clear in all tones that “I’ve proven that when needed I’m ready to cooperate. In the spotlight. We don’t play games.” Then, making barbs at Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras, he said “I neither divided nor deceived the Greek people, nor do I have protectors.”
Responding to claims about “green money trees,” he characterized New Democracy as a “joke party” since, as he said, it was the one that brought bankruptcy to Greece and led the country to memoranda and surveillance. “The party that brought bankruptcy to Greece, leaving with the Karamanlis government the world’s largest deficit in the current account balance, that led the country to memoranda and surveillance, telling the party that sacrificed itself to keep the country in the euro that we will bring a memorandum. How much audacity! How much arrogance! How much immoderation!” he characteristically stated.
At the same time, after reminding that PASOK revealed the OPEKEPE scandal, he clearly stated that “we’re doing opposition. There is opposition. But we don’t have the same weapons as the government. We have a collapse in the quality of Democracy.” Androulakis’ press conference also included references to events in Gaza, emphasizing that “the only path for Mr. Netanyahu is to answer at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for crimes against humanity.”
Androulakis responds to Tsipras return scenarios
Additionally, referring to scenarios about former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ return through a new party, he conveyed for the umpteenth time that “whether he stays in SYRIZA or splits SYRIZA, this doesn’t concern PASOK, this concerns SYRIZA.” “I won’t enter any discussion to facilitate New Democracy in changing the agenda. PASOK will do its job. PASOK has nothing to fear, it’s a party built on very solid foundations and with hard metal. Many of us stayed through the difficult times,” he emphasized. “At this juncture, the goal is victory and political change,” he added.
Regarding which forces he could cooperate with, he commented that “I don’t play Nostradamus because I don’t know the electoral result. Let us be ahead of New Democracy, even by one vote. Thus the country will get another government.” About his announcements, he said “we costed all our measures,” reminding that “Mr. Pierrakakis told the truth: ‘even if we had the money we wouldn’t give a 13th salary.'”
In an ANT1 question about hydrocarbons delays and Chevron, Nikos Androulakis emphasized that “energy needs planning and momentum.” He characterized the Chevron agreement as a positive step, adding however that “it should have significant benefit for the country.” “We determined by 2011 law the EEZ limits. Why weren’t steps taken from 2011 until today? Do you know how much the delay cost the Greek people?” he wondered.
In a Star question about high prices and products where he plans to reduce VAT, the PASOK president said: “We have a duty to zero VAT on baby milk. On rice and potatoes it will go to 6%. The cost isn’t large. To pass to prices, we are responsible. The government doesn’t want to control the market.”
Androulakis: The public Greece-Cyprus dispute irreparably exposes the government
In a Vergina TV question about the electrical interconnection project with Cyprus and the prime minister’s phrase that Cyprus is the big beneficiary, Mr. Androulakis emphasized that “there must be unified defense doctrine through European defense with Cyprus. To safeguard Greece’s and Cyprus’ sovereign rights. Turkey has no place in EU security architecture.” “The public Greece-Cyprus dispute irreparably exposes the government. That’s why we say political change in everything,” he stressed.
“Demographic revival without regional development cannot exist,” he underlined answering a related question. “Horizontal policies fail due to the country’s geography. Mountainousness and insularity must always be taken into account,” he added emphatically.
“We freeze the golden visa because there’s no supply. We must also move away from short-term rentals. We utilize public property to rent new homes,” Nikos Androulakis emphasized in another demographic question.
“New Democracy has only one concern. To change the electoral law. And bring a law that only applies in Fiji islands, electing mayors with 20%. They simply want to absolutely control municipalities,” Nikos Androulakis emphasized answering a related question. “The people will vote, will decide and if PASOK is the first party it will implement its program. Whoever wants can discuss with us. We have a program of bold political change,” he added.
In a migration question, Mr. Androulakis clarified that “we won’t choose between ‘the sea has no borders’ and Plevrys.” “We want legal migrants with apprenticeship and integration. The primary sector is collapsing from lack of labor. But societies also have limits,” he explained.
“We want public universities as a pillar but in Greece there must be non-state, non-profit universities, like in other European countries. Few and good ones. With campuses and research. Not in apartment buildings, colleges,” Nikos Androulakis answered a related question, emphasizing that “public university must be strong.”
