ekathimerini.com The Greek Letter : the upcoming elections ...

 

The Final Countdown[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. On Saturday, the chief of the Parliament Police and Security Detail posted the presidential decree dissolving the Hellenic Parliament ahead of the elections on May 21, heralding the official launch of the pre-election period. “Political stability is a national necessity”, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the upcoming elections in a televised address following his visit to President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. He also presented the work of his government over the last four years as well as the priorities of his New Democracy party if re-elected, including improvements to low wages and the troubled National Health System. Main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras stated that “the time has arrived for an important political change” and said that it was an opportunity to bring back justice to the country. Tsipras also stated that a potential SYRIZA government would increase salaries and reduce prices. Finally, he focused on the youth vote and accused the government of being hostile to the young. “I personally commit that we will oppose any interest that undermines the prospects and future of the Greek people”, said PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis who called on voters to make a “courageous choice for change”. He attacked both New Democracy and SYRIZA and stated that his party would not be pulled into a Manichean and divisive political atmosphere. However, one political party leader in Greece was pre-occupied with internal party rumbling on Saturday. Kyriakos Velopoulos of far-right party Greek Solution faced the loss of two MPs who resigned the party whip after they, and one more MP who remains with the party, were reprimanded over publications alleging that they were holding conversations with interlocutors from New Democracy. Spotlight MEP Alexis Georgoulis, who was elected with SYRIZA, was removed from the opposition party following a request by the parliamentary authorities to lift his immunity after he was accused of rape and sexual abuse. SYRIZA spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou announced that the party had asked the former actor to relinquish his seat, with party leader Tsipras vowing that there would be no “no tolerance and no cover-up” of the incident. The allegations against Georgoulis, along with the earlier incidents with MEP’s Eva Kaili and Maria Spyraki, do Greece no favors in Brussels.   The 228-page report by the panel of experts investigating the Tempe rail collision was published this week revealing the many inadequacies of the Greek rail system, from lack of basic modern safety standards to unchecked political clientelism. Indicative of the dire situation, the report states that even following the completion of the modernization of safety standards on Greek railways in September 2023 “Greeks will have a rail line connecting Athens to Thessaloniki at a technological level that other countries have had since the 1970s”.

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OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition A far right -but not neo-nazi- party set to enter parliament Developments in Greece’s far-right in the last few days will impact the political scene in two crucial ways, each having its own significance. All indications are that there will be a new nationalist “law and order” party that will participate in the elections and will most likely get enough votes to enter parliament. That, in turn, will make the formation of a single party government much more difficult as in order to achieve this the winner would need to get an even higher percentage of the total vote, not an easy task. As of now, the election dynamics point to a coalition government with a number of potential participants on the table. The other dimension of this development is the fact that among the seven parties that, as of now, are projected to enter parliament – New Democracy, SYRIZA, PASOK, Communist Party, Greek Solution, Mera25, Ean – there will not be one with neo-nazi characteristics. The “National Party Greeks” of jailed former Golden Dawn leading member Elias Kasidiaris will not run as it has become apparent that the country’s High Court would ban it from participating in the elections. Its followers and sympathizers will most likely end up voting for Ean, the party led by former prosecutor, Anastasios Kanellopoulos, which might cooperate with other nationalist forces made up of fringe parties and known personalities in the far right of the political spectrum, but which are not affiliated with Golden Dawn and its criminal record.

CHART OF THE WEEK

A total of 14,000 applications have been submitted for the “My Home” program that will provide low-interest or zero-interest mortgages in specific cases to young people buying their first home. The majority of each mortgage loan (75%) will be provided by the Public Employment Agency (DYPA), with the remaining 25% being covered by a bank (with all four major Greek banks participating in the program, along with several others). At least 600 of the applications have already been pre-authorized by banks. The significant interest in the program, and the large uptake, may even lead to a doubling of the original DYPA budget to 1 billion euros.

ESCAPADE The Old Sparta-Kalamata Highway: One of the Most Beautiful Routes in Greece Famed for its outstanding natural beauty, the route of the old Sparta-Kalamata highway connects the regional units of Laconia and Messinia. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,111.33 points, up 0.77% from last week. This marks the fifth straight week of gains, driven in particular by growth for bank and construction stocks.”

“Credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s upgraded Greece’s outlook to ‘Positive’, up from ‘Stable’, but affirmed the country’s rating at ‘BB+’, one notch below investment grade. However, given the uncertainty stemming from the upcoming elections, the upgraded outlook could indicate a rating upgrade in the near future.”

“The four largest banks in Greece recorded a high profitability of 3.7 billion euros in 2022, in comparison to 4.7 billion euros in losses the year before. Additionally, the interest margin for the same year was 2.14%, the third best performance in the eurozone.“Iniochos”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

24/04/2023: The Hellenic Air Force will conduct the annual military exercise “Iniochos” with the participation of Cyprus, France, India, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, and the US. 25/04/2023The election trail: With the official launch of the pre-election period political leaders and MPs will be touring Greece. Indicatively, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will travel to several regions including Xanthi, PASOK’s Nikos Androulakis will visit Ioannina, and the KKE’s Dimitris Koutsoumpas will travel to Mytilene. 26/04/2023Delphi Economic Forum: The eighth edition of the Delphi Economic Forum, entitled “Paradigm Shifts”, will take place under the auspices of President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Speakers include Prime Minister Mitsotakis, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, as well as heads of state or government from several countries including Cyprus, Austria, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

Editor's PickThe research project, titled “SLaVEgents” shifts the focus of research from the elites to the lower classesYiannis ElafrosRead the article

PODCAST

22/04/2023 • 12:36Is the EU ready to end its standoff on how to handle migration?Alexandra Voudouri, Kathimerini’s Brussels correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look at the series of proposals put forth by the EU Parliament aimed at finally ending years of standoff over how to manage migration, and break down what this means for Europe and frontline states like Greece.

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