Prime Minister Antonis Samaras began his speech at Syntagma Square with a direct attack against SYRIZA, saying that “the want to sent us back to chaos” and assured the Greek people that there will be no more austerity measures and memoranda.
“I want to address each and every Greek citizen: We have put the country in order and they hold that against us. We are moving forward and we ask the Greek people to vote for a new Greece. Do not let those who play with fire blow us to smithereens. The threat is not SYRIZA but the instability they want to bring. For the past two years we have been trying to get Greece back on its feet and pave the way for growth. Only an accident can make the country leave its growth trajectory. SYRIZA is the accident the country must avoid,” said Mr. Samaras.
Mr Samaras lashed out at the leader of SYRIZA : “Tsipras claimed the vote of the people so as to topple the government. In this dangerous behavior, Greeks are the only one who can answer. Do you want instability? Do you want our country to move on? Will we exit from the crisis ? We will stay on course steadily or return to the crisis? Will we do the last step just before reaching the top or roll back?. I need you with me. Do not rest on local elections. It is time you sent your message: We are not going back, Greece cannot go back. There is no room for relaxed attitude. I want you beside me , I want you with me. We have to give a lesson to those who are populist, to those who want to fill the country with illegal immigrants,”.
Then, Mr Samaras referred to the critical point of Sunday elections: “We are in the most critical moment of the greatest battle , Greece will move ahead, we will win this fight,”.
He noted, “We are exiting the memorandums and the crisis” and said he would not refer to the primary surplus, the dropping unemployment rate, and Greece’s return to international markets. “These are things you know,” he told the audience, “as you also know that some do not want us to exit the crisis, they want us to return back to chaos. We will not let them return us to chaos. They want to topple the government – and New Democracy responds: Why do they want to topple the government now that we are at the most critical point? Now that we will settle the debt at the end of the summer, now that major new investments are coming? Because they want to freeze everything and bring instability? I will tell you why, because they want Greece to return to crisis. Their assertions “are enough to create anew the danger of our exiting the euro,” Samaras said, and called on voters to action: “Every one of you must prevent the danger of Greece returning to uncertainty,” he said.
He also noted that people’s relaxed attitude who see the country exiting the crisis is dangerous: “Let no one play the game of those who want fear, instability and panic.”
“When they call for early elections, we respond with the need for a new Constitution. The Constitution must be revised so that the President of the Republic is directly elected by the people. We proposed a national development plan. We presented how to reduce unemployment, which sectors will grow, how Greece will produce, how we will overcome the crisis, how it will be financed. What do they promote? Instability. Why they are saying that they will tear the memorandums.I have been tearing up the memorandums daily, these past two years,” he concluded.
Referring to the efforts for reparation of injustices he said: “I know very well that people suffered and they are still suffering. That during these two years injustices were made. But I am in a hurry to get Greece out of the crisis so as to repair any injustices.
Mr Samaras also referred to taxation by saying that “We want to gradually reduce taxes, and we have formed a map to do that,”.
Also, continuing the attack he talked about SYRIZA and Golden Dawn saying that “They are begging the votes of the Golden Dawn, such an impoverishment and such a misery. Growth in Greece will wipe out those who bet on the destruction of the site,:. He also mentioned the upgrading of Greek economy by Fitch saying that when the country goes up, they want to pull it down, because they are not interested in Greece but in their the party.
Ask me anything
Explore related questions