Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis received fire from the opposition after his government survived the No-Confidence vote, saying that it will be for the people to decide who will govern in the 2027 election.
After a week of mass rallies across Greece demanding justice for the Tempi railway disaster that left 57 (mostly young) people dead, the opposition continued to ask for his resignation in heated talks in parliament.
The Greek PM, however, responded addressing all opposition parties: “And who do you want to govern?” He continued saying that the trial for Tempi will find who were the guilty parties and justice will be served.
On Sunday, the Greek prime minister gave his weekly review of the government’s work on social media, stressing the importance of the trial for the Tempi tragedy. The government is the “first to want the trial for this unspeakable tragedy to begin” and that “Tempi will not and should not be forgotten.”
The Greek Prime Minister Prime noted that it had been a “tumultuous week”, both at home and abroad, following the rejection of a motion of no-confidence in the government and the recent Special European Council in Brussels to discuss European defense policy.
Regarding the motion of no-confidence, the premier said that the government’s goal is to “move forward and turn what the majority of citizens who participated in the mass protest rallies were demanding into action,” adding that this majority will then judge the government in 2027, based on its performance.
In regards to foreign affairs, Mitsotakis emphasized that Greece was now having to navigate “an extremely fluid geopolitical landscape” and expressed his satisfaction that Thursday’s European Council had arrived at conclusions “which are a full vindication of standing national positions”.
“Even before the war in Ukraine broke out, I had noted the need for Europe’s strategic autonomy but also the need for fiscal flexibility on the part of European institutions as regards defense spending, for those countries that wish to invest more in defense. I spoke of the need for Europe to finally be able to consider the formation of new common defense fund, financed by European funds, in order to support a common European defense policy,” he said.
The Greek PM pointed out that now Greece and other European countries were able to use the escape clause to increase investment in defense without this configured in the calculation of their deficit. “This is a significant success for Greece, which further protects us against any national threat.” he said.
The Greek prime minister then highlighted two Hellenic Statistics Authority (ELSTAT) reports showing a drop in unemployment to the lowest level in 17 years and a second reporting that Greece had 2.3 percent GDP growth in 2024, in contrast to just 0.9 percent in the Eurozone, as well as an increase in investments and exports.
He highlighted the upgrade of the Greek economy to BBB by DBRS, saying it was another strong confirmation that Greece was a reliable financial destination, had gained the markets’ trust and had even greater prospects for growth and investments in the future.
Mitsotakis also mentioned government actions for a free preventive screening program for cardiovascular disease, as well as actions for cheaper housing, subsidized tourism for Greek citizens, and the tenders for fossil fuel exploration. He also pointed out that Greece was classed as a “full democracy” for second consecutive year by the “Economist” and concluded by welcoming the repatriation of a rare example of ancient Athenian pottery from the Glencairn Museum.
Following Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ remarks on the government’s work, Syriza spokesperson Giorgos Karameros issued the following statement:
“The delegitimized prime minister of profiteering, wiretapping and Tempi, posts every week what Mr. Skertsos (coordinator of government policies) writes for him and the works that have not been done for six years now. We will be waiting for them both at the Pre-Investigation Committee.
