Gov’t takes dig at opposition chief’s backers

The government appears ready to give new opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis some time, but not too much.

Asked about Kasselakis’ election on Monday, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, after congratulating him on his election, added that what the government expects is for the country “to get a serious and reliable opposition and for SYRIZA to enter the road of truth and realism.”

“Our confrontation with Mr Kasselakis will be political… we are awaiting his positions and proposals on all big issues and all the issues that concern citizens,” Marinakis added, his bland language containing a barely concealed dig at Kasselakis’ perceived lack of political positions, a fact also noted by most of his rivals for his party’s leadership.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Kasselakis Monday to congratulate him and invite him to a get-to-know meeting. He had done the same when Nikos Androulakis was elected leader of the socialist PASOK-Movement for Change in December 2021 but the latter had not accepted the invitation.

Sources from the Prime Minister’s Office noted that Kasselakis’ support by “the most authentic representatives of hateful rhetoric [meaning lawmaker Pavlos Polakis, an early and vocal supporter]… and by people who have been convicted in a final judgment by justice [Nikos Pappas, a fellow leadership candidate who endorsed Kasselakis]” creates a real chance that the toxicity of SYRIZA’s opposition will remain a defining feature.

Marinakis also noted that Kasselakis will be absent from Parliament, “where all great reforms are proposed and voted on.”

The same sources from Mitsotakis’ office told Kathimerini that their main challenge will not be SYRIZA and its new leader, but the government’s performance over the next few months. The prevailing mood is that if the government implements its program and manages any likely crises competently, it will not allow a weak opposition to challenge it.

After the June election, New Democracy has retained the same number of MPs (158) in the 300-member parliament as it had in the 2019-23 one, but SYRIZA is down to 47 from 86.