Mitsotakis rules out swing to the right

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisted on Tuesday that the negative result for ruling center-right New Democracy will not lead to a swing further to the right, nor to discounts on the reform front. 

In his first interview since the elections, Mitsotakis described talk of an alleged right turn “wrong and completely disorienting” and emphasized the effectiveness of the government. 

“The issue is not whether we go to the center or to the right, but whether we are more effective,” he said, stressing that problems have no color or political direction. 

He did however note that the 41% that ND won in last year’s national election “no longer exists” and described this as “liberating.”

He also said that charges of arrogance against the government due to last year’s landslide can no longer stick. Addressing his ministers, he said that if some looked down from high above, “it is time to see it from a little lower.”

“There is nothing wrong with that,” he said, stressing that “the bar of the government’s expectations will not be lowered” by the bad result.

He also acknowledged that the loss of some of ND’s clout among the electorate is partly due to legislation providing for the marriage of same-sex couples and the taxation of self-employed professionals.

“I am a person who believes deeply in equality and human rights and that is why I proposed the initiative. We were one step ahead of the party,” he added, admitting however that “for a traditional part of our voters, this is something that upset them, possibly more than we had appreciated.” He made it clear, however, that there would be no further changes to family law and specifically to the issue of childbearing. 

With regard to self-employed professionals, he stated that “we may have sometimes used the wrong language” about their taxation, adding that there will be point corrections to the law. But he also stressed, “There will be no changes to the central core of our policy.”

At the same time, he announced that there would be new initiatives to tackle high prices, but without “panic moves” that would derail the Greek economy.

He also did not refute scenarios of a reshuffle, saying however that Friday’s cabinet meeting will be held with the current composition. Regarding the criteria for these changes, he pointed out that he is calculating whether “a change of person has a greater benefit or cost.”

“For me, the balance is operational. I try to pick people who are suitable.”