Conservative Main Opposition Vangelis Meimarakis was seen by many as having the upper hand in the political leaders’ debate that took place on Wednesday. His goal during the debate was to tear down the profile of former prime minister Alexis Tsipras and expose the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government’s inadequacies.

Meimarakis pointed that the people should judge on how the country did during SYRIZA’s governance. “In January, the country was doing much better; the special levy was reduced, the tax on oil was reduced, and social security contributions decreased… If we have had the full four-year term our work wouldn’t have been abruptly interrupted and we would have implemented the things we promised.”

“I know economics because I studied it and I have a dissertation on it,” he said. “You lead the country to 90 bln euros debt in seven months. If you hadn’t had the referendum, we wouldn’t have been loaded with 25 bln euros for banks alone. For the rest, read the text of the agreement. I don’t speak foreign languages that well, but you managed to learn them.”

He pointed out how his party had brought investments to the country, whereas SYRIZA had “chased them away.”

“We ask for people’s vote to complete what we didn’t have time to complete in the previous term,” he said. “It’s true we said a lot of things in 2012. We implemented many of them,” he said.

He left open the possibility of forming a coalition government with other parties.

The fued

Meimarakis refered to a leader who had lied, with a plug at right-wing anti-austerity Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos. The reference did not pass unnoticed with Kammenos accusing Meimarakis of lies and continuing the policies of the government of Antonis Samaras. He said that he grabbed submarines along with ND deputy Adonis Georgiadis. “We are now abolishing the law on ministers liability!” he said.