Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Reuters in an interview that he had learned to be bold on economic reform as he seeks re-election in a country that was once the euro zone’s problem child.
The leader of the conservative New Democracy party hopes to win a second term after a parliamentary election on Sunday with a clear majority, to unleash Greece’s growth potential.
“I hope that my next four years will be years of rapid growth for Greece, but growth that will also limit inequalities and make sure that we focus on supporting those who are more vulnerable,” Mitsotakis, 55, said in the English-language interview in Heraklion on the island of Crete.
Greece has emerged from a decade-long debt crisis that wiped out nearly a fourth of its economic output.
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COVID-19 and high inflation, triggered by the Ukraine war, that have sent energy bills rocketing have battered households still reeling from a decade of austerity, while economic growth is forecast to slip to 2.3% this year from 5.9% in 2022.
While on a tightrope to keep Greece’s finances in order, Mitsotakis has spent over 50 billion euros in relief measures since 2020, hiked pensions and raised the monthly minimum wage by 20% to 780 euros to cushion the cost-of-living crisis.
Read more: Reuters
