The governments’ plans ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis focuses on two parallel but also interdependent “final dashes” – the pre-election sprint is “several months away” according to the Prime Minister and the one concerning the government’s program is days away. In the tense daily politics, sometimes using extreme language, ruling New Democracy accuses SYRIZA of “vulgarities” and “fanatical rhetoric”, trying to convince moderate voters of its own social sensitivities, institutionalism and the will for a confrontation on platforms. Having pushed the electoral horizon to 2023, it places great stress on the 45-day final stretch until the starting gun for the new political season.

The Thessaloniki International Fair-TIF is traditionally used by political parties to lay out the respective agendas for the coming year. As this is going to be the last TIF under the government’s present mandate, and therefore a pre-election springboard, the PM’s office at the Maximos Mansion has begun structuring the so-called TIF basket, behind closed doors the . If on such days last year the prime minister’s associates used the words “defense and pandemic” to succinctly describe Mitsotakis’ menu of announcements, this year they choose two different words. “Society and energy” they say, specifying in addition that on the two days of September 10-11 the Prime Minister will officially formulate the – according to him – dilemmas of the national ballot box and the (political) stakes for the next four years and beyond. He often talks about “Greece of 2030”, hence the search for visionary slogans, in order to dress up the government’s attempt to address a positive narrative towards “everyone”.

Charm attack

Middle class, workers, pensioners and youth are at the center of charm attacks that Mitsotakis will attempt through his announcements. The bet is to include “surprises” in the prime minister’s announcements along with structural changes, which is why the financial staff is composing and deleting scenarios and estimates for permanent citizen benefits, in addition to extraordinary interventions. Faced with a difficult – energy-wise – winter and with key developments in the autumn (such as the October summit in Brussels), the government is worried about whether it will be able to present a holistic intervention with an expanded defense to support society or if it will be forced into consecutive bursts of aid packets. What is certain is that while the main opposition will try to appeal to the same citizen pool (wage-earners, youth, vulnerable groups, etc.), Mitsotakis will press on to set goals: tax cuts from 2023, an increase in pensions and a solution to the issue of retroactive settlements  for pensioners, possibly a new increase in the minimum wage, and housing policy for young people.

Words to the wise

The PM’s office are treating the next two cabinet meetings as intermediate “stops”, since it is preparing specific instructions. Government officials are initially waiting for Mitsotakis’ orders for “work and fewer vacations” in the middle of next week, and then at the end of August they are banking on, on the one hand an eight-month report-evaluation (with specific data that has already been requested from the ministers, as informed sources confirm), on the other hand defining the first phase of the autumn “offensive”, which the prime minister’s circles are preparing for by promoting reforms and bills. Mitsotakis is anxious to arrive in Thessaloniki with the fewest ministerial pending matters and no gray areas in the commitments he has made, while, according to what is being discussed within the government, the record (which has now been done in writing) of the first general goals of 2023 is accompanied by the mandate that the four-year first mandate be fully completed within the first quarter of the following year.

SYRIZA – PASOK picking up pace for programamtic announcements

Even if Mitsotakis informs his interlocutors that he is moving to an electoral horizon of spring 2023, publicly denying the electoral surprise in 2022, SYRIZA and PASOK are at the same time moving  in a pre-election and “programmatic” rhythm. The PM’s office is expecting that SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras personally will throw all their weapons in the two-day 17-18 TIF visit, raising the tone sharply especially in the fields of high prices-inflation and social policy. The aim, as it is estimated, is to cultivate anew a narrative about a “neoliberal government, that favors the few” and to unleash fire against Mitsotakis personally and a series of ministers (Kostis Hatzidakis, Niki Kerameos, etc.). “Easy solutions, easy lies” SYRIZA cadres accuse the government, while referring to the SYRIZA proposals they expect to be formulated in Thessaloniki (minimum salary at 800 euros, abolition of excise tax on fuel, etc).

Meanwhile PASOK-KINAL wishes to present the profile of a “responsible opposition” and offer concrete financial proposals in view of the difficult winter, and at the same time it seeks to speed up its own platform project.