Μake us preferred on Google Alexis Tsipras is scheduled to hold a press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Tuesday at 5 p.m. local time, in what party officials describe as a critical phase of his appearance at the fair, with the next national election campaign already effectively under way.
The press conference follows last week’s presentation of the economic program of the Greek Left Alliance (EL.A.S.) Tsipras is expected to answer questions on the economy, the cost of living, wages and his party’s overall political plan.
Government criticism expected
Tsipras is expected to criticize the government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and to state that the country wants a change of policy and government.
EL.A.S.’s argument is that behind Greece’s high growth rates, significant social inequalities and problems remain that are not being effectively addressed. The party’s core message is that economic growth is not enough on its own if it does not translate into higher income and greater security for households. Cost of living pressures and pressure on disposable income are expected to be central themes.
The economic program
Tsipras is also expected to present EL.A.S. as a party with a specific, costed plan for governing. The economic program presented in Thessaloniki includes specific measures on taxes, energy and basic goods, with party leadership maintaining that its proposals have a clear fiscal basis.
According to reporting by TA NEA, EL.A.S. has begun preparing comparison charts between government measures and its own proposals. The party’s central offices have focused these comparisons on several areas: the minimum and average wage, the abolition of the annual business license fee, a reduction in the advance tax payment required of businesses, higher taxes on large dividends, fairer taxation including the proposed Patriotic Levy, lower energy costs, investment, support for doctors and teachers, and assistance for small and medium sized businesses.
TA NEA reports that through this approach, EL.A.S. is seeking to win support beyond the voter base that backed SYRIZA in the 2023 election. Tsipras, this time around, is targeting more centrist, moderate and middle class voters who are torn between economic relief and stability. The more recent qualitative polling still shows this group remains skeptical toward Tsipras’s new project, a hesitancy linked to his decision to squeeze the middle-class in terms of taxation during his tenure as Prime Minister.
Questions on alliances
The press conference takes place while the political landscape is already in flux, with EL.A.S. seeking a leading role in the center-Left political space. Tsipras is expected to face questions about the Greek Left Alliance’s relations with PASOK, possible scenarios for cooperation between the two parties, and whether EL.A.S. is already preparing for the upcoming national election.
Party officials say Tsipras’s task extends beyond presenting an economic program. He also needs to convince voters that EL.A.S. can turn its proposals into a workable plan for government. At the Thessaloniki fair, he is expected to argue that the political debate should center on who is best placed to plan the country’s next steps, not only on managing current conditions.
