“These holy icons will never come back, because the Greek people believe”, said PM Antonis Samaras, from Filiates in Epirus.

Mr. Samaras visited the Town Hall in Filiates where he was received by a warm welcome from the “blue” mayor of the city. When he entered the mayor’s office and looked at an image of the Virgin Mary, he said: “There are some who are asking us to take down these icons from public places. From parliament, to ministries, to town halls and schools, these holy icons will never be taken down. This is the clearest answer to those who dared to tell me to take down the icons. I know who says these things, and which party believes in it, and it will never happen”.

In his statements, Mr. Samaras said that elections are about two completely different worlds that one has to choose between. One is the world of development, stability, the world who understood different, intricate things in Paris yesterday, which have been added upon the already serious problems. The other world is a world that wants to believe in ideas and policies that not only are unbefitting of Greek people, but will lead nowhere besides poverty, at a time when Europe and Greece are recovering”.

The Prime Minister sent a message of optimism, stressing “We will not kneel. All our sacrifices have not been made to just stop now. We are at the end of this race. We will be able to push through it and enter the highway of development that Europe is opening up for us”.

Mr. Samaras began his tour from the Filiates hospital and walked to the town hall where the villagers greeted him. He spoke with many people on the way.

After Filiates, the Prime Minister visited Igoumenitsa and walked in the town center, discoursing with every citizen who greeted him about their problems.

This afternoon, he will be speaking in Ioannina at a pre-election conference, while he will continue his tour in Agrinio and Aitoloakarnania, tomorrow.