Marinakis: The citizens expect us to solve more problems, be more efficient

23:35 10/6/2024 - Πηγή: iEfimerida

The European Parliament election results send a dual message, giving the government its greatest-ever lead over the opposition but also falling far short of the targets that ruling New Democracy had set, government

spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis commented on Monday, on the radio station Parapolitika.

He noted that the roughly one million voters who had not turned up to vote for ND had instead stayed home rather than cast their vote for any of the other parties: "…these are people who expect us to solve even more problems and become more efficient. I consider that they do not define themselves so much using the labels of the past. What makes [Prime Minister] Kyriakos Mitsotakis stand out for as long as I can remember is that he has learned to hear the negatives, fix mistakes and finally be answerable only to the citizens. This is what he will do this time as well, and the citizens will judge him."

"The entire picture says two things at the same time. One is that we had a significant victory as regards the difference, which is the greatest ever recorded, but no one can consider that we achieved our goal. I will focus more on the second part of the message. Given that we were far short of the target we had set, 33 percent, and more importantly, beyond percentages, that a very large number of those who voted for us a year ago abstained….people stayed home, waiting to see from us in the next years…[that] we will continue the good things that we are doing but change the things that bother these people," Marinakis said.

He added that the government will heed the message sent by Sunday's result, especially Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and analyse it as quickly as possible. The spokesperson also noted that people more easily send messages of displeasure in the European elections.

"Certainly, the accumulated pressure on households from the high cost of living, despite the increase in incomes, was reflected in the ballot box," he said, while noting that people had chosen to abstain and had not been convinced by the alternatives offered by the opposition. Alongside the displeasure in the government expressed through abstention, he pointed out, voters had also "expressed their final rejection of the magical recipes and money-trees of the opposition".

"People also told us one more thing…that they do not expect anything from any other party," Marinakis noted, saying this meant that the government must work harder and faster to push through the major reforms and big changes.

Regarding the bill for the taxation of the self-employed, Marinakis said the government could not allow such a large percentage of this group to pay less income tax than people on a minimum wage, though admitting that this may have caused displeasure that was reflected in the elections.

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