“Man to man” confrontation and tough dilemmas until Greek elections

Conditions of a head-on conflict with personalized attacks between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras are taking root until the elections. The two party leaders are attempting the maximum possible rallying of their audiences on the way to the double, apparently, confrontation at the polls. Political analysts characterize this “man to man” political confrontation as a “one-way street”, which allows each side to articulate its own tough dilemmas.

The PM’s office insists on the question “Mitsotakis or Tsipras?”, bringing forward at every opportunity the worn, “heavy” past of the SYRIZA administration. SYRIZA HQ answers with its own dilemma “Democracy or New Democracy?”, targeting its criticism personally at the Prime Minister and at issues that, as they believe, harm the government’s image.

Today in Parliament, tomorrow in the party

After three pre-election speeches by the official opposition leader in Peristeri, Patras and Thessaloniki, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis is launching interventions today and tomorrow. One in the Parliament in the context of the passing of the bill on the armed forces.

The Prime Minister intends to address parliament for the first time after Tsipras announced that SYRIZA will abstain from parliamentary voting, with the exception of tomorrow’s vote on the regulation to bar the Kasidiaris party.

But also in the specific issue (defense, strengthening of the armed forces, etc.) the government registers a clear lead according to polls in its comparisons with SYRIZA. The government representative Yiannis Economou commented last night, after Tsipras’ speech at “Ivanofeio” arena, that it is “abysmal audacity” for “the one who co-governed with nationalist populists, the one who did not vote for the strengthening of the armed forces and the international alliances to strengthen the homeland”.

Mitsotakis’ second intervention is expected before a party audience tomorrow afternoon, so signs of electoral alertness, party confidence and high tones against SYRIZA are required. He is specifically expected to speak at an event of his close associate, New Democracy Organizational Secretary Stelios Kontadakis at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Fighting over a possible debate

In the meantime, a verbal fracas rages over the Mitsotakis-Tsipras debate, which both seem to want but… on different terms! The leader of SYRIZA has always considered his direct confrontations with Mitsotakis to be in his favor, hence SYRIZA has reinstated the request for a televised debate.

To be precise, SYRIZA representative Popi Tsapanidou linked the “Mitsotakis or Tsipras” dilemma, which is directly promoted by New Democracy, with the need to hold a debate. “We have been raising the dilemma for seven years now, with constant invitations to a telenised debate. Mr. Mitsotakis is the one who constantly runs away,” said the SYRIZA press representative.

The PM’s office, for its part, is trying to squeeze the main opposition through its very decision to abstain from Parliament. Indicative of the comments of the government representative: “SYRIZA says that I consider the Greek prime minister to be the head of a criminal organization and is leading the country astray, so I am following the tactic of delegitimizing the parliament in order not to debate in the temple of democracy with the one I accuse of being responsible for the democratic deviation. In other words, I am not debating with the one I am accusing in parliament but I am debating on television channels.”