Another off-the-agenda Parliament debate in Athens on Monday at the political party leaders’ level, ostensibly on the course of the Greek economy, quickly degenerated into a “free-for-all” of charges, counter-charges and back-and-forth barbs on a variety of high-profile instances dealing with controversial Defense Minister Panos Kammenos – the leader of the junior coalition partner in the current government.
In opening his statements on the Parliament podium, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras referred to a “positive landmark” entailed from the conclusion of a review of the Greek program at a June 15 Eurogroup meeting. Tsipras disparaged what he called the “pseudo-prophets” of doom, as he called opposition criticism during the run-up of the review’s conclusion.
Tsipras, who rode to power in January 2015 on a wave of anti-memorandum opposition that also included a very vocal disdain for markets, told Parliament that the “manner in which money markets greeted the agreement (review) speaks for itself.”
“Greek bonds are posting a rally on the markets; yields are at their lowest level since 2009 and the course of the stock market has been restored, while stability and confidence in the Greek economy has returned,” he said.
On his part, in opening his address, main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to what he called “political wrongdoings” and an “institutional aberration” in listing what he claimed were a series of actions and statements by government ministers, namely, Kammenos and the equally divisive alternate health minister, Pavlos Pollakis.
“Power has corrupted you politically; you have acquired an immunity to deeply-seated undemocratic practices,” Mitsotakis said, in directing his criticism at Tsipras.
The opposition and media scrutiny of Kammenos involves his most recent mobile phone discussions, totally 20 minutes via 12 calls, with a convict serving a life sentence for felony heroin smuggling. Lesser but equally salacious criticism of the leader of the small rightist-populist Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL) party is his piloting of military helicopters and even obscene photographs (cartoon phalluses on a neck tie) on his personal Twitter account.
In reply, Tsipras declined an opposition demand to establish a Parliamentary fact-finding committee to probe the communication between the minister and the convicted drug smuggler, saying the entire case is part of a wider investigation by a relevant prosecutor and authorities.
The high-profile case the political leaders were referring to involves more than two tons of heroin located on a freighter (Noor 1) in June 2014. Several people, including a suspect on remand, died over subsequent months, some the victims of shootings.
In briefly returning to the debate on the economy, Mitsotakis appeared confident in the wake of opinion poll results showing his ND party comfortably leading ruling leftist SYRIZA, stating that “investors know there’s no risk with the next (Greek) government. We never used slander as the main opposition, we did not invest in disaster. We call upon investors, even today, to come to our country. Sooner or later you’ll leave and then hope will return to the country, which will unveil its growth potential.”
