Tsipras unveils SYRIZA’s new 4-year-plan, pledges new jobs

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday sought to rally support for his party's new four-year program which he promised to implement if he is elected in power in next month's national elections.

The plan, which he described as “realistic and workable,” includes pledges to create 500,000 new jobs over the next four years, a new minimum wage hike of 7.5 percent in 2020 and another 7.5 pct rise in 2021, 10,000 new hirings in health and 15,000 new hirings in education.

“We deserve a chance to govern for the first time without our hands tied, without memorandums, without supervision,” he told party members at Athens Concert Hall.

He also said his government will fully digitize the public sector, double foreign direct investment and increase exports at 50 percent of GDP by 2025 and approve civil marriage for same-sex couples.

Tsipras said this new program will be the first one that will start being implemented the day after the elections and will not need the consent of the so-called “troika,” as Greece's creditors are often called domestically.

“We are now deciding for out future,” he said and called on Greeks to “make a new start” on July 7. 

Earlier in the afternoon, he visited President Prokopis Pavlopoulos to officially ask him to dissolve Parliament and hold a snap election, saying it was needed to avert a protracted period of political uncertainty that could hurt its economic recovery.

“Given that we have entered into a virtuous circle, it must not in any way be affected, because that would mean that the sacrifices of the Greek people would be jeopardized. Having a full sense of this responsibility I ask you to dissolve Parliament and call for national elections to renew the mandate," he added.

Pavlopoulos said he accepted the government's proposal.

Monday’s request from Tsipras and approval from Pavlopoulos were considered formalities. The president is then expected to issue a decree ordering the new vote and dissolving parliament.