3rd SYRIZA Congress: The greetings of the parties

3rd SYRIZA-PS Conference: The greetings of the parties 14/04/2022 23:17 ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ Αθήνα, Greece 1073 Greek

Item Number: 25574203

The established greetings at the SYRIZA-PS congress were addressed by representatives of other parties and political movements. After the speech of the president of SYRIZA-PS with which the work of the conference began, the secretary of New Democracy and president of the Youth Organization of New Democracy (ONNED) Pavlos Marinakis, the spokesman of PASOK / KINAL, Dimitris M , the spokesperson of MERA25, Michalis Kritharidis, the co-president of the Green Ecologists, Katerina Andrikopoulou-Sakorafa and the leader of the political movement PRATTO, Nikos Kotzias.

P. Marinakis, SW

The importance of organizing the SYRIZA-PS conference after all the years of the pandemic was underlined by the representative of ND at the conference, Pavlos Marinakis during the greeting he addressed to the members of the conference. As he said, it is “important” for members to express themselves in such internal party events. He acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Mr’s opponents, and said that “there is no room for complacency”.

However, he stressed that such participation has more than “ceremonial value” as “in a democracy the dialogue should not stop for a moment, even when the conflict is fierce”.

P. Marinakis referred to the three years that the ND government is closing in a short time “after elections”, refuting the “about the regime” that was heard, as he pointed out. In those “about three years,” he said, “what has not happened in decades” has happened.

Specifically, he called on SYRIZA-PS to “agree” on the “minimal self-evident” despite the “big political differences”, such as that “maximalist logics in the economy did more than benefit the place, whether expressed by rulers or opposition”.

He also referred to government actions such as “practical support to households and businesses”, “tax cuts more than any other government” and a record low unemployment. He also called for a “common stance on vaccines” and “condemnation of the Russian invasion without asterisks.” Among the points to find common ground, he included “security” in “universities and neighborhoods”, arguing that “security is neither a right-wing nor a left-wing policy”.

D. Mantzos, PASOK / KINAL

“Parties must respond with courage and clarity to dilemmas, especially those that test the principles and values ​​of their political and social existence,” said PASOK / KINAL spokesman Dimitris Mantzos in his greeting. vaccination and condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that “must be absolute and clear” by any political force in the democratic arc, he said.

At the same time, he pointed out that “the results of the neo-conservative policy of the ND government are becoming more and more noticeable to the citizens and especially to the low and middle incomes” and that “he is persistently late in taking drastic measures” who speculate in the crisis “. In addition, he accused ND of doing nothing to boost public health, as it “does not believe in the welfare state”. The PASOK / KINAL representative said that on the contrary, “the European and Greek social democracies provide the proposals for a plan of social prosperity and resilience to face the consequences of any future crisis.” He stressed that “it is the duty of the opposition forces to highlight the painful policies of the ND government and to compare solutions in a documented and costed way.

“Our differences are obvious, both ideologically and programmatically,” Mantzos said, adding that he was “really pleased” to notice the message “Change” in the conference slogans, “which for our party is not a simple word, but a genetic element of our political identity and history. ” He said that “real change” is the courage for cuts and reforms such as the NSS, ASEP, independent authorities, Transparency, etc., adding that “this is how change is experienced by citizens, not through rhetorical bidding or anachronistic slogans.” He added that “progressive politics in difficult times means, not words but deeds, conflict with interests and practices that keep us stuck in yesterday, opposition with programmatic reason and credibility, without populism and artificial tensions, in the context of a strong social democratic proposal.”

M. Kritharidis, DAY25

To find “the answers, the solutions and the proposals that will put the society back in the center of the political priorities” he wished to SYRIZA-PS during his greeting at the conference, the representative of MERA25, Michalis Kritharidis, “away from the painful compromises which “Unfortunately, you chose to serve after the evening of July 5, 2015, despite the generous NO with which the Greek people honored us then.”

He stressed the need for “self-criticism” and also stressed the need of the “world out there” for “a Left that will not deny it again, christening the capitulation ‘honest compromise'”. He also stated that MERA25 will clash “with the Oligarchy, with or without” SYRIZA-PS and finally, he referred to “partnerships” to which he has invited SYRIZA-PS and to “political issues” that he has raised, without receiving ” specific answers “.

K. Andrikopoulou-Sakorafa, Green Ecologists

The co-president of the Green Ecologists, Katerina Andrikopoulou-Sakorafa, stated that the OP “we are the dominant autonomous green political entity in Greece, our positions are always filtered through the principles of sustainability.” He noted that climate change is one of the biggest threats facing the planet and our children, and that “OPs are giving a potential presence with comprehensive sustainable proposals and paving the way for a green transition.”

He added that “all the voices that belong to the progressive democratic arc must recognize the dangers and challenges and always keep open channels of communication and political dialogue, setting the new framework for the next day.”

N. Kotzias, PRATTO

The “urgent need” for the creation of a “big front, democratic and left” was stressed by the head of PRATTO, Nikos Kotzias in his own greeting to the SYRIZA-PS congress.

He commented that “if the elections in France showed anything”, it is that with the left “united” the picture would be “different” in the second round, with “Le Pen defeated”.

In particular, the head of PRATTO proposed to proceed with SYRIZA-PS in four forums “dialogue and action”, for “energy”, “tackling the food crisis”, “against privatizations, accuracy and unemployment” and for “democracy”.

It is not enough to defeat the current government, but we must agree on the defeat of the oligarchy. The country is governed based on the interests of four banks and ten families, commented N. Kotzias.