Greece Enters Pre-election Period on April 22

Greece is officially entering election period with the dissolution of parliament expected on Saturday and with State Minister Akis Skertsos stepping in as government spokesperson.

Skertsos replaced Yiannis Economou who announced the news during the weekly press conference in Athens, adding that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis would be visiting Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Saturday to request the dissolution of parliament and the official announcement of elections for May 21.

Mitsotakis confirmed the news during a recent visit to Corfu, where he presented the development program for the Ionian Islands.

The country’s pre-election period begins on April 22.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Photo source: PrimeMinisterGR.

Mitsotakis is expected to present his party’s program during a special event in Athens next week and on April 28 release his party’s ballot.

“The government managed to secure financial tools that are unprecedented,” said Mitsotakis, adding that funding went into infrastructure and road works on the Ionian Islands with the aim of strengthening tourism, as well as into the promotion and protection of the old town of Corfu.

Speaking in Corfu, Mitsotakis said his government is aiming in the next four years to achieve higher growth rates for Greece compared to other EU countries, to increase wages in public and private sectors by 25 percent, provide free health care for all, and to guarantee a fair society and effective governance based on merit.

Greeks will be going to the polls on May 21.

Mitsotakis called elections late last month. “The country and its citizens need clear prospects,” he said, adding that only with a clean slate can his government continue implementing reforms.

The Greek prime minister went on to add that the newly introduced electoral system of proportional representation will make it difficult for any one party to win a clear majority from round 1.

Mitsotakis’ conservative New Democracy party was elected to power in July 2019 after clinching a majority 39.8 percent of the public vote. He took over from Alexis Tsipras, representing opposition party Syriza, which came to power in 2015 by majority vote.

Photo source: Ministry of Interior.

In relevant news, a resolution on the rule of law in Greece, Spain, and Malta was withdrawn from last week’s plenary agenda during a closed-door meeting of the Conference of Presidents (CoP), consisting of political group leaders, EURACTIV reported.

The move aims to prevent a rule of law debate and resolution from affecting elections in Greece in May and in Spain in December.

“There has been an agreement to freeze any kind of resolution, mission or hearing targeting a particular country in the weeks leading up to an election”, an EPP spokesperson told EURACTIV.