Greek PM Mitsotakis puts “change” in the pre-election narrative

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is trying to include the message of “change” in his pre-election rhetoric, while main opposition SYRIZA took the lead to move strategically with the slogan towards the May 21 ballot weeks ago. Alexis Tsipras keeps both the narrative of “political change” and the “Mitsotakis or change” dilemma in the foreground.

For his part, the prime minister, having a double target on the one hand with voters who want “continuity” and on the other hand with those who prefer “change”, as appears through the rolling public opinion polls, is now trying to give his own content to the specific concepts.

This need even permeates, for example,  the ruling party’s slogan “Stable – Bold – Forward”, with the expectation of party cadres that mainly the second word could transmit the signal of New Democracy’s willingness for big changes.

“More daring”

Indicative of New Democracy‘s need for a counterattack in tandem with deconstruction of the dilemmas formulated by the official opposition is the fact that Mitsotakis chose references to “change” in three different parts of his political speech yesterday from Corfu.

Corresponding positions are expected at today’s and last until the elections meeting of the Political Committee at party headquarters. “On the one hand, let’s not jeopardize all that we have gained, and on the other hand, let’s go bolder, faster on the path of big changes,” he initially said at yesterday’s party event.

“Errors must be turned into a positive experience so that they don’t become ingrained faults, so that by changing the country we can also change with it,” he said at the time, showing that he attaches importance to the role that self-criticism can play. And he concluded that “no failure or oligarchy can overshadow the truth of a Greece that is changing and becoming stronger”.

In this context, Mitsotakis is trying to present to citizens a different message of “change” in relation to Tsipras’ proposal. With the rationale of the ruling party, the importance of “stability” and “continuity” is not left aside, but the commitment to overthrowing what “must change in the country” is also factored in.

Tomorrow, yesterday

Essentially, Mitsotakis is trying to secure for himself and his faction the “representation” of both continuity and change, investing in the “positive account” of governance, in comparisons with Tsipras and in the identification of SYRIZA with the past.

“As today we did what we said yesterday, so we will put into practice what we plan for tomorrow. Because we will not be able to build relationships of trust if there is not this necessary consistency of words and deeds” he said from the Ionian to end the – according to him – electoral dilemma “with the SYRIZA of yesterday or with New Democracy of tomorrow?”.