With the package for the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) fully finalized, and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis having held his final meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion before also heading to Greece’s second city, the government is setting off for the last pre-election fair.

Mr. Mitsotakis’s strategy is straightforward: several social groups will receive a clear message of income support, alongside a description of a meaningful outlook toward 2030, when income-support measures will continue according to a specific plan and timetable.

As government sources make clear, this will not be a TIF characterized by indiscriminate handouts, but rather one that reflects the growth momentum of the Greek economy, which should translate into greater disposable income for citizens.

From this perspective, several groups are set to benefit from a number of measures, both immediately and over a longer horizon in the coming years: self-employed professionals and the market, families with children, pensioners, farmers, and others.

Surprise Measures

So far, the government team has succeeded in keeping several cards “hidden,” protecting the measures from leaks. Mr. Mitsotakis has reportedly urged his close advisers in both the economic and communications teams to refrain from pre-announcements that could deprive him of momentum.

According to information from protothema.gr, two “surprises” will provide relief to key groups of citizens.

The first tax reduction will concern farmers, a social group with which the government has been in conflict throughout the previous period. However, no news emerged from yesterday’s meeting between a government delegation and farmers’ representatives in Thessaloniki, and the secret remained undisclosed.

Another reduction in the tax burden will be linked to families with children.

The economic team had been weighing two options: relief based on last year’s model, applied horizontally and scaled according to the number of children, or a bold measure specifically for families with three children.

Based on the latest information, it appears that the decision is leaning toward effectively putting families with three children on an equal footing with large families, a social group numbering approximately 100,000 citizens.

The Schedule and the Dinner Gatherings

Mr. Mitsotakis will travel to Thessaloniki after midday and, as is customary, will stay at The Met hotel.

He will subsequently visit Papanikolaou Hospital, while it is considered highly likely that he will also travel to western Thessaloniki to visit the new swimming facility currently under construction in the Municipality of Ampelokipi. The project was removed from the Recovery Fund but will go ahead using national funds.

It is recalled that Mr. Mitsotakis has asked MPs and party officials to place particular emphasis on western Thessaloniki, where the Greek Solution party is showing strong growth and could even come first in some municipalities.

Beyond the prime minister’s schedule, of course, the entire government camp is relocating to Thessaloniki.

A number of government officials are organizing events starting today, including Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Giorgos Gerapetritis, Stavros Papastavrou, Domna Michailidou, Sofia Zacharaki, Thanasis Kontogeorgis, Akis Skertsos and others.

Meanwhile, the economic team is inviting MPs from northern Greece tonight to Diagoni, famous for its soutzoukakia, for a dinner that is gradually becoming something of an institution. Last year, the gathering was held at Zythos-Dore.

Also tonight, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis is hosting journalists at the rooftop garden of the Electra Palace, where the prime minister is also expected to make an appearance.

The youth wing of New Democracy, ONNED, is meanwhile meeting at the nearby Ark on Mitropoleos Street, where Mr. Mitsotakis is also expected to stop by.

Naturally, all the city’s restaurants are fully booked, while the bouzoukia clubs are somewhat subdued this year, so no major “blue” revelry is expected.

On Saturday night, Vassilis Kikilias will in turn host a gathering at Canteen, following Mr. Mitsotakis’s speech.

Adonis Georgiadis, meanwhile, was quick to clarify on X that he is not organizing a gathering for his political friends, although he will be accepting several invitations he has received.

It also remains to be seen whether Mr. Mitsotakis will maintain the tradition of having dinner with his wife, Mareva Mitsotaki, on Saturday evening, following his speech at the Velidio Conference Center, at the well-known restaurant Opsopoion Magganeiai.