What is waiting for A. Tsipras to ask for elections

By Niki Zorba

A week has passed since the new strategic “turn” of Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA, which this time concerns the purely political field: It prepares the ground for calling for elections.

Turn

A “turn” has already taken place in the party’s attitude towards the management of the pandemic, as “K” mentioned in its previous issue, SYRIZA now calls for stricter measures for the vaccinated and an accelerating force appears for the necessity of “difficult decisions”. .

These decisions, the “difficult” as the president of SYRIZA systematically characterizes them in the last ten days, he connects completely and directly with the escalation of his attacks on the government and the cultivation of a political “subsoil” to formulate – in the next tone – the call for early elections.

In just seven days, from the moment he first stated it in an interview, Mr. Tsipras has referred three times to the need “for the government to leave as soon as possible”. From Chalkida, during his tour in Evia, he threw the first “seed”, declaring for the ruling party that “it is time for them to leave”. This was followed by a new relevant wording from Komotini (again before a party audience) even more “adorned” with objections and findings:

“If this government can not protect public health, it does not want to make decisions at political cost to avoid a new lockdown, if it can not protect the social majority, then it is time to leave,” he said. Mitsotakis failed in almost everything critical of what he promised, calling him an “outgoing prime minister”. They do not want to accept that SYRIZA-PS will win the next elections whenever they are held.

He stated the same yesterday (Friday) and from the floor of Parliament, in the debate on the SYRIZA proposal for the establishment of an inquiry committee on “public opinion manipulation” by the ND, talking about the worst government of the post-colonial period, which is “inevitable” to leave soon.

Elections

Mr. Tsipras presupposes that it is a matter of time before he demands elections, but now he does not ask for them. They are bound, according to a top executive of the presidential bloc, by their initial attitude towards the scenario of elections in the midst of a pandemic. “We did not want elections when the pandemic was under control, we can not do it now with this situation. People are dying in hospitals and we will call on them to vote?” Considering at the same time that the indication that SYRIZA will ask for elections when the conditions allow it, responds to criticism and “grievances” received from some of its executives and voters that it does not exercise strong opposition and is trapped in a “ripe fruit” tactic.

What will be the horizon for the party president to call for elections? “Logically, the milestone will be February and the third SYRIZA congress to be held at its end. This is the central planning, given that the conference also aims to send the signal that the party is on a path of total recovery.” according to another top official belonging to the “internal opposition” of the umbrella. No work exercise can be considered safe, given the developments on the pandemic front, which are anything but straightforward.

In any case, given that the SYRIZA congress is taking place in the last days of February (27-28), in the mourning of Spring, it is considered a safe milestone for Alexis Tsipras to make an electoral request, as in theory at least, the country will have leave behind the state of emergency it is in today due to a pandemic.

The “difficult” measures

That SYRIZA is now centrally flirting seriously – even with a “hold” for the time being – by imposing strict measures on those vaccinated and unvaccinated to stop the pandemic, has become apparent – and not only – through the implication left by Mr. Tsipras but also public statements of his central executives. What would the party support in practice if it constantly accuses the government of timidity in order not to incur political costs?

The extension of the obligation of vaccination to professional categories is a measure that SYRIZA is “discussing”. Especially as the government seems reluctant to implement it. Moreover, by pointing out that a climate of complacency was wrongly cultivated by the N.D. to the vaccinated if they themselves become ill and transmit the virus, the official opposition party seems to have no problem becoming “unpleasant” in the vaccinated pool, speaking for the need to subject them to the rapid test process, in order to put a brake on the spread of the virus.

Obviously, it did not decide where SYRIZA suddenly stops calculating the political costs that actually exist for decisions and proposals that make life difficult for citizens. After all, not many months have passed since a “crowd” in the political council of the party with the pandemic at its peak, when opinions had been heard (from the presidents) that the vaccinators are also voting and SYRIZA cannot turn its back on them.

However, weighing the epidemiological data, reactions of actors with whom they come in contact but – mainly – considering that the attitude of the government leaves uncovered a large portion of citizens who are dissatisfied with the non-imposition of harsh measures, have decided to “fill” this gap .

Republished from the “Chapter” that is circulating