At first glance, Kyriakos Mitsotakis appears to be keeping his composure. However, against the backdrop of accusations—express or implied—from parliamentary parties that the government is involved in the “murder of Vasilis Kalogiros,” Mitsotakis deviated from his usual approach and, from the podium of the Thessaloniki Summit, launched a fierce attack against those who, as government officials have repeatedly said in recent hours, “want to drag the country into the swamp.”

“I’ve heard a lot over my political career. During the bailout years, we were called ‘traitors’ and ‘German collaborators.’ We’ve been accused of being a ‘gang of pedophiles,’ ‘smugglers.’ And now, they’ve gone as far as calling us ‘murderers.’ I want to say this as clearly as I feel it: enough with this filth. This must stop. We cannot continue in this toxic climate,” Mitsotakis stated.

He directed his attack not only at minor opposition parties like Plefsi Eleftherias and Elliniki Lysi, which have been ramping up their harsh rhetoric against him, but also at PASOK. Government officials have openly accused PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis of aiding this attempt to “politically destabilize” the government by fostering an extremely toxic atmosphere.

“The entire opposition bears enormous responsibility. […] The systemic parties, the main opposition that directly questions the judiciary, SYRIZA, which disgracefully adopted these claims about a tragic incident. A man has died, we don’t even know what happened, he was buried today, and yet insinuations are being made that the government and the prime minister personally are behind this?” Mitsotakis asked.

No-Confidence Motion or Parliamentary Debate?

Stressing several times the need for political stability in an uncertain geopolitical environment filled with challenges, Mitsotakis threw down the gauntlet to opposition parties, challenging them to coordinate and submit a no-confidence motion against his government.

“I am waiting for us to go to Parliament, to debate, to speak openly, to take off the masks,” he emphasized, while also warning that if the opposition fails to agree on a no-confidence motion, the government will go on the offensive and initiate a parliamentary debate itself, following the release of the EODASAAM report on February 27.

Η σημερινή συζήτηση του @PrimeministerGR με τον δημοσιογράφο @vaggelisplakas στο πλαίσιο του «Thessaloniki Summit 2025” έδωσε όλες τις απαντήσεις σε σχέση με τη στάση και την πολιτική θέση της Κυβέρνησης για το τραγικό δυστύχημα των Τεμπών και την άθλια προσπάθεια… pic.twitter.com/kLcYKDCtA5

— George Mylonakis (@georgemilon) February 19, 2025

The Counterattack

With the firm belief within the government camp that opposition forces are attempting to “reignite” public protests in the streets by any means necessary, a number of top ministers and government officials sought to deliver a message of government resistance.

“We have an opposition that wants to drag us back to the nightmare of a decade ago. They want to take us back to the darkest days of the past. They have no other goal, no alternative proposals,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Open TV yesterday.

“I have no doubt that if this discussion continues for two years, Greece will lose its mind. This leads to complete chaos. Can you imagine a political system and a Parliament where everyone calls each other a murderer?” raged Adonis Georgiadis during a TV debate on Action24. He urged ND voters to “not allow this disgrace to continue,” insisting there has been no cover-up. Notably, Georgiadis acknowledged communication failures in the government’s handling of the issue, arguing that from the start, it should have been more aggressive against efforts to exploit the tragedy for political gain.

“Justice is Delivered by the Judiciary”

“The judiciary in our country delivers justice. This is a fundamental truth that cannot be compromised, nor can anyone dream of people’s courts. The country has turned a page, and no one can drag it back to the dark times of the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ squares,” Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis wrote in a statement.

Notably, the atmosphere yesterday in Parliament and on television panels was explosive, with many debates unfolding in an extremely tense climate.

The “Cover-Up” Thorn

Meanwhile, the political landscape remains challenging for the government, as revealed by two polls—one by Alco for Alpha TV and another by GPO for Parapolitika Radio. In both, ND’s voting intention hovers around 25%, while Plefsi Eleftherias and Foni Logikis (Voice of Reason) are gaining ground.

Particularly problematic for the government is Alco’s finding that 72% of voters believe there has been an attempt to cover up the Tempi case, with government responsibility. Even among ND voters, 43% share this view.