PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke at the central pre-election rally of the New Democracy party in Syntagma Square tonight, bringing down the curtain on the election period ahead of the June 9 ballot box for the new European Parliament.
Many members of the New Democracy party and candidates for the European Parliament, as well as ordinary citizens, supporters of the ruling party, were present at the large gathering.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Athens sends a message of responsibility and victory to every corner of Greece,” the Prime Minister began his speech. “A strong New Democracy in Greece means a strong Greece in Europe,” he stressed, noting that the circumstances “do not allow experimentation, do not allow inaction and protest.”
We understand the fatigue of the citizens, we stress that it is worthwhile to participate in this ballot, the prime minister added.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ speech in Athens:
New Democracy’s central pre-election rally at Syntagma:
The prime minister referred to the ND’s European candidate list and called on citizens to elect “MEPs who will strengthen the country’s voice in Brussels and Strasbourg”.
He attacked the opposition, accusing it of slandering our country in Europe and added that “we need MEPs who will wear the jersey of the Greek national team and only ND can achieve this”.
“To be against those who have been in Europe for years, only to defame our country. Who even went so far as to call for the cessation of EU funding. We do not want such representatives,” Mitsotakis said.
We raise the glove, the Southwest will be the big winner on Sunday night, all of Greece will be blue again, the Prime Minister stressed. He added that only the Southwest has a plan of claims in Europe for the next five years.
He even referred to the beach bar in Rhodes, which was closed today, to stress that there is no longer any tolerance for illegalities.
Mitsotakis stressed that the opposition with its populism wants to mine the country’s trajectory towards Europe.
He attacked SYRIZA for its programme – “God will make it a programme” he said – but also attacked the right-wing of the New Democracy, “taking a picture” of Kyriakos Velopoulos, who is offering pensions of 4,000 euros.
He also spoke out against the telesalesmen of religion and faith, while he called to turn a deaf ear to those who feed money trees.
The prime minister also referred to national issues, making it clear that the European road of Tirana and Skopje passes through Athens. With regard to Turkey, he said that we want to live as neighbours, without dangerous tensions.
Calling again on citizens to the ballot box on Sunday, Mitsotakis asked them to say “no” to the rapture brought by the heat, as he said, and that the vote should not go unchallenged. There is fatigue from back-to-back elections, he acknowledged, while accepting that there can be frustration.
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However, he again urged voters to avoid experimentation and adventures.
“This is a bigger gathering than the one we had a year ago,” he further asserted, while noting that despite the difficulties, no one wants to reverse the certainty of the course charted by the Southwest.
“The polls don’t vote, the day after tomorrow the polls will be empty again,” he noted, to send a message of participation in the electoral process. “We are voting early,” he said, signalling that… the beach can wait.
“I invite you on Sunday to dress Greece in blue again and bring Greece even closer to Europe,” he concluded.
