Handelsblatt: The 2023 elections are crucial for Greece

With Greece now on the path to elections, Handelsblatt comments on the pre-election scene and the two main candidates. “Many in Greek economic and financial circles are looking forward with concern to a possible return of the radical left to power”, given that in 2015 it “brought the Greek banking system to the brink of collapse within six months”. Regarding the progress of the current government, the German medium judges that “from an economic point of view, an amazing transformation has been achieved in the last four years. […] Greece has begun to repay its debts prematurely. Unemployment is at its lowest level in twelve years. Foreign direct investment hit a new record in 2022. This year, the country could return to the creditworthy category it belonged to before the crisis.”

Still, “the government’s balance sheet is mixed,” given the wiretapping scandal. “Nationl Intelligence Agency EYP probably monitored the phones of a prominent politician of the social democratic opposition and an investigative journalist. According to media reports close to the opposition, more than 100 journalists and politicians were monitored, including ministers, government MPs and the Chief of Staff.’

“If the conservatives do not manage to gather an absolute majority, Mitsotakis will want to proceed to new elections as soon as possible”, judges HB. Finally, as far as Tsipras’ aspirations are concerned, the German media reports that his main pursuit is a cross-party coalition, possibly with parties of the left, such as that of Yanis Varoufakis. “Tsipras has proven that he has no inhibitions when it comes to choosing his political partners as early as 2015, when he formed a coalition with the right-wing populist Independent Greeks.”