In an interview to ‘Proto Thema’, New Democracy (ND) leader Evangelos Meimarakis warns that the top priority for his party is that a stable government emerges from the upcoming elections regardless of whether ND comes first or second.

Meimarakis stresses that what is needed under the current critical political circumstances is ‘national understanding and reasoning’ between all political parties. He underlines that he believes his party will come first in the September 20 elections, adding that he does not rule out a coalition government with SYRIZA as long as the leftist party is willing.

‘The important thing in politics is not liking each other, but credibility, trust and results’, says the leader of Greece’s major opposition party, referring to the outgoing SYRIZA-ANEL government and the prospect of a post-election coalition between ND and SYRIZA.

He underlines that by using harsh rhetoric from the outset of his pre-election campaign against Tsipras, his intention was to ‘drive home’ the message to the average Greek voter of the crucial times the country is going through. He said that Greece needs a national plan to exit the crisis it is in, while he believes the old dividing political ‘brands’ of the past are no longer relevant in today’s political landscape.