Greek ‘Watergate’: Mitsotakis’ authoritarianism cannot be tolerated anymore

 Greek ‘Watergate’: Mitsotakis’ authoritarianism cannot be tolerated anymore

By Sarantis Michalopoulos 

|EURACTIV.com 8:07 (updated:  8:59)

“Mitsotakis is now a destabilising factor. Practices like wiretapping and surveillance of political opponents are common in regimes like Mr. Putin's or Mr. Erdogan's… not in a European country,” Katrinis said, adding that EU institutions should step in and help shed light in the scandal. [Greek Parliament]

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a “destabilising factor” for the country and citizens cannot stand his “authoritarian” attitude, senior socialist lawmaker Michalis Katrinis told EURACTIV after it was unveiled that the secret services bugged the phone of Greek socialist opposition leader and MEP Nikos Androulakis.

Read the interview also in Greek.

The Greek “Watergate” as described by international media caused a political earthquake in the Mediterranean country, sparking resignations from the prime minister’s secretary general and nephew, Grigoris Dimitriadis and secret services chief Panagiotis Kontoleon.

“Also, the resignation of the PM’s nephew and closest associate raises many questions since it was not done for reasons of avoiding the toxic atmosphere, as was initially said. The sacrifice of Mr. Dimitriadis probably hides a lot and remains to be investigated,” Katrinis noted.

Mitsotakis, however, is hanging on for dear life.

“Mitsotakis is now a destabilising factor. Practices like wiretapping and surveillance of political opponents are common in regimes like Mr. Putin’s or Mr. Erdogan’s… not in a European country,” Katrinis said, adding that EU institutions should step in and help shed light on the scandal.

While the New Democracy government (EPP) has admitted that the secret services bugged Androulakis’ phone, it has failed to explain why hiding behind the “confidentiality” of the process.

The government also says Mitsotakis was unaware that the secret services had hacked the socialist leader’s phone, a denial questioned by many as one of his first steps as prime minister was to bring the agency under his direct supervision.

Katrinis, the head of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement’s group (S&D) in parliament, said the Greek prime minister has been sending contradictory messages that have exposed him.

“When the surveillance of the president of Pasok was revealed […] the prime minister described it as legal but claimed that he did not know about it and that if he had known it would not have happened”, Katrinis said.

He said the government called Androulakis to inform him privately about the case, but then both the prime minister and Minister of State Gerapetritis “declared that they did not know anything, so what information would they provide him with?” Katrinis wondered.

Former PM shows Mitsotakis the red card over Greek ‘Watergate’ scandal

Former conservative prime minister Costas Karamanlis urged the Greek government to shed light on the scandal regarding socialist opposition leader Nikos Androulakis whose phone was bugged by the Greek secret services.

Greece’s “Watergate” scandal has shaken the ruling New Democracy party, …

‘Protecting’ the company which bought Predator

In July, the European Parliament services also found that there was an attempt to bug Androulakis’ phone with the illegal Predator spyware.

A couple of months earlier, it was revealed that journalist Thanasis Koukakis was targeted by Predator, another nail in the coffin of the country’s dismal media freedom record under Mitsotakis.

For Katrinis, the government is “protecting” the company that purchased the illegal surveillance spyware.

“A month after the scandal was revealed, no search has been made at the offices of the company that trades Predator,” Katrinis said, adding that the government has provided ample time for valuable evidence to disappear or be deleted.

“It is clear that the government is trying to cover up the case, to keep the company that sells the illegal software in the dark so that it is not revealed who and how many have it, who they are monitoring, and whether and how they are connected to the government, something that should be investigated by the parliamentary inquiry committee,” he said.

The parliamentary inquiry committee started its works earlier this week, but all involved government officials refused to explain why Androulakis’ phone was bugged, invoking the “confidentiality” of the process.

The next day ‘does not include’ Mitsotakis

Opposition parties have asked Mitsotakis to resign and call snap elections, but the conservative leader insists that he will complete his term.

The next general elections are due in 2023, and the new electoral law suggests that a coalition government will be needed, a practice almost unknown to Greek politicians who are used to single-party governments.

Potential scenarios are circulating in Athens, and Greek socialists will play a kingmaker role between the ruling New Democracy and the main opposition Syriza party (EU Left).

However, they have not revealed their cards yet.

Asked if the scandal killed any prospect of a New Democracy – Pasok potential collaboration, the socialist lawmaker replied, “the equation of political stability and smooth political developments does not include Mr Mitsotakis”.

“Greece can no longer tolerate either the authoritarianism and anti-democratic mentality of Mr Mitsotakis, who is the prime minister of the few and the rich, nor the populism of Syriza, which is possessed by an unacceptable logic of controlling the institutions,” Katrinis said.

Katrinis insisted that in a democracy, there are no “deadlocks” and that Mitsotakis has found himself in a dead end “that’s why he is trying to polarise” Greek politics.

He added that Pasok would not take part in the attempt to polarise politics, which the main opposition is trying to do too, according to Katrinis, but rather focus on its “autonomous” way.

“The election result includes the solution to today’s political impasse. And that’s why we should first let the citizens speak,” he said.

In Greece, there are also rumours about adopting the Italian model: a coalition government with a technocrat prime minister.

Asked about this scenario, Katrinis said in Greece, the culture of cooperation that existed in Italy or other European countries has not been consolidated until today, and for this reason, we cannot compare different things and situations.

“The question is not who the prime minister will be or how the government posts will be distributed, but what will be the content of governance. If it will constitute a real change for the country, if it will give hope and perspective to Greek society and citizens,” he said.

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Recovery funds for Mitsotakis’ friends

Pasok and Syriza recently proposed setting up a parliamentary committee to monitor the distribution of EU money from the Recovery Fund and the 2021-2027 NSRF funds; a call rejected by the ruling New Democracy party.

Katrinis said the ruling party came up with the national recovery plan without consulting other political parties, the public or other relevant stakeholders.

“Since the beginning, we had expressed our disagreement with the way the funds are being distributed, excluding the vast majority of small and medium-sized enterprises and not contributing to the domestic added value,” Katrinis said, adding that the government still has not evaluated the €42 billion allocated during the pandemic.

“The resources of the Recovery Fund should and must give a growth impetus and contribute to the restructuring of the production model of the Greek economy and not for Mr. Mitsotakis to distribute them to his political friends and an oligarchy,” Katrinis said, noting that accountability and control are urgently needed.

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