“If for any reason a government cannot be formed after the 7 July election, then the country will ineluctably again head to elections in mid-August. Citizens should understand well what it means not to have a strong mandate on the night of 7 July,” Mitsotakis declared.
Tsipras had steadfastly demanded a second, one-on-one debate with Mitsotakis, as their parties are the only ones with a chance of forming a government, which New Democracy firmly rejected.
There are unpardonable aspects of the government’s record relating to its handling of institutions that are the pillars of democracy.
If Elliniki Lysi does not make it into parliament, New Democracy will have a six-seat majority (156 seats), but if it does ND only gets a two-seat majority (152 seats).
Despite the efforts to persuade voters that the result of European elections is reversible (ND won by a 9.3 percentage point margin), a defeatist climate is looming over the government camp.
Kalogritsas first became known nationwide as the darling of the SYRIZA-led government in 2016 when he bid unsuccessfully with letters of credit from Attica Bank and dubious collateral in a tender for broadcast licenses.
All that has been revealed in the last few days about unprecedented machinations confirmed press suspicions of an effort to manipulate the judiciary to serve the government’s ends.
Kotzias heads a left-wing political grouping called Pratto and there was an understanding with PM Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA that the movement would nominate 10-16 MP candidates nationwide.
She has posited her party as the sole authentic progressive party which can stand up for social justice and labour rights.
Though a solid majority has already decided who they feel is best suited to manage the country’s future, the next few weeks will be decisive in determining the power balances in the next Parliament.
The political favours passed in Parliament during the last days of the Tsipras administration brutally wounded democracy and shook the trust of the people.
In terms of voter intention, the spread between SYRIZA and New Democracy is 7.7 percentage points.
'The vast majority of counter-measures for 2019 and 2020 have already been legislated and implemented,' finance ministry sources say.
SYRIZA for years condemned the attachment to bills of completely irrelevant addenda but it appears to have discovered along the way that it is convenient.
The survey gave New Democracy a high of 36. 5 percent and a low of 31.5 percent compared to a high of 27.5 percent and a low of 22.5 percent for SYRIZA,
Main opposition conservative New Democracy has scored its greatest victory ever in regional and municipal elections, winning 11 of the country's 12 prefectures
Within three years, Tsipras led a very small party to become one of the country’s top two parties, with a good shot at gaining power.
Any investment had to pass multiple hurdles to gain initial approval. Then it was blocked by either by the bureaucracy or incompetent political management.
For many, the effort to create a new narrative and disseminate it within a month - so as to stem a mass defection from a party widely expected to be annihilated in a New Democracy landslide - is simply unfeasible.
A move to swiftly replace the leadership of the Supreme Court now entangles it in political games. It may also be motivated by the government's anxiety about the future.