The support measures announced by the government deliver on the government's pledge to return a "growth dividend" to the groups most affected by the crisis, especially the middle class, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said in an interview with the newspaper "Parapolitika" released on Saturday. He also accused the opposition of putting forward "mean-spirited criticism and lies," instead of costed proposals.
"In a fair manner, we are returning what they were deprived of in previous years, but without jeopardising the fiscal protection of the Greek economy, which we achieved together with the Greek people and through their sacrifices,” Marinakis said.
“ The surpluses are not the result of over-taxation, but of three factors: tackling tax evasion, creating jobs and growing the economy, which has led to the state having more revenues without increasing tax rates. The opposition either fails to understand, or pretends not to understand, that the state can have more tax revenue without increasing taxes. In any case, this is the only way to grow the 'pie' and thus be able to return to society what it was deprived of in previous years,” he added.
Asked whether the support measures will be combined with early elections, Marinakis said: “ New Democracy does not wait for the elections to listen to the needs of society. This is our difference with the other parties. It does not surprise me that they are unable to perceive this difference.... The elections will be held in 2027 and until then we will try, more and more often, to announce good news to the citizens.”
Regarding crime and 'no-go' areas, the government spokesperson said: “ I start from Exarchia by saying that since 2019, according to official data from the Hellenic Police, thefts in the area have decreased by 74%, robberies by 90%, incidents and attacks on police officers by 86% and out of 90 drug cases handled in the area in 2019, in 2024 they dealt with only three. Regarding the bigger picture, in the field of legality, it is evident that things that were not happening for decades have been done in just a few years. Finally, the obvious thing is to evacuate squats in the universities and at the moment there is not a single active squat. In the field, we made bold decisions and put them into practice, and the picture is completely different. In 2024 alone, 13,000 arrests for domestic violence have been made, along with the installation of the panic button, the helpline for abuse victims and the operation of 63 domestic violence bureaus.”
“ The new Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime, in just five months, dismantled 48 criminal organisations and investigated 272 cases. Tackling crime is one of the most difficult battles and requires constant vigilance. Rest assured that, no matter how much some in the opposition shout about alleged 'police arbitrariness', we are not going to take even half a step back in the direction of implementing the law,” added Marinakis.
The spokesperson also repeated that the government's aim is to form a single-party government with a majority in Parliament and that it is not considering cooperation with other parties:
"We have two years ahead of us to prove that we have reliably delivered what we promised the citizens in 2023. From there on, the citizens - and only they - will decide in 2027. Especially for PASOK, which through its stance, its rhetoric and its backtracking came to be where it now is, politically and in the opinion polls. It should not now cry over spilt milk," concluded Marinakis.