Divorced from reality

Three weeks have passed since the election on May 21, in which the SYRIZA leftists suffered a crushing defeat. They believed they would emerge victorious but ended up with only half the share that New Democracy got. However, even to this day, it appears that they still haven’t grasped why 600,000 citizens who had voted for them in 2019 turned their backs on them.

The voters criticized SYRIZA primarily for its blanket rejectionism and its refusal to acknowledge anything positive that the New Democracy government had accomplished over the past four years. Despite the government signing a defense agreement with the French and the US, SYRIZA claimed that they were compromising national rights. Even though the conservative administration unrolled the most successful vaccination campaign in Europe, SYRIZA accused them of causing deaths in ICUs. And when the government provided benefits to compensate individuals affected by the war in Ukraine, SYRIZA accused them of serving the interests of the wealthy.

Additionally, when the government introduced the “Market Pass,” a financial aid program to offset increased household expenses, SYRIZA accused them of catering to the interests of supermarkets. When a party constructs its narrative based on hatred, misery, division and polarization, constantly blaming others for everything, it can only collide with the harsh reality when the country returns to normalcy and progresses forward.

In May, the people sent a message to Alexis Tsipras, to become more serious and rise to the occasion. They urged him to be less arrogant, engage in opposition with substantive arguments and concrete proposals, and not always be prepared to fight even over the most trivial matters.

Aside from the initial period of “silence” following the defeat, which led to the decision to remove all senior party figures from television appearances in an attempt to reshape the party’s image, nothing has changed. Both SYRIZA and Tsipras remain the same, without any alterations. They continue to reside in their own realm of social media, fearmongering and conspiracy theories. They have gone as far as claiming that there is a “secret program” by New Democracy to allow terminally ill patients to die without assistance. They allege that the National Intelligence Service (EYP) is a “criminal organization” working against the citizens for Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ benefit, especially if he obtains an absolute majority.

Let’s hope that the elections on June 25 will prompt SYRIZA to abandon their delusions and come to their senses. May it also serve as a catalyst for a responsible New Democracy government, free from mistakes and arrogance.