Greece It has raised its head in recent months after ten years of economic hardship. It is not surprising, therefore, that the star of this Sunday’s election campaign is the difficulty of citizens facing the consequences of this recovery. “Even the most basic things are difficult as everything is more expensive and salaries are not increasing. pay the rent And buy food“, Thanasis says. The young man was at the central meeting on Thursday. syrizaleft wing formation Alexis Tsiprasin Syntagma Square in Athens. The former prime minister filled the emblematic enclave with thousands of people, where he promised “justice for all” and where conservatives are questioning the democratic profession of his current government. new democracy.
In general, people on the Greek left agree that the focus of discussion is that if the crisis hits the most needy – after three bailouts – the minimum wage should fall by 25% and pensions by 20% and 40%. – and everyone should participate in the timid economic recovery. Tsipras promised salary increases – so did New Democracy – and lowered taxes on a designated basket of staples.
The left welcomes the legislative change that will lead to the second round of Sunday’s elections being held in July. The winning party in this general election, 50 MP bonus It only served to facilitate the formation of governments – of the 300 held by the Greek Parliament. newly released full proportionality It makes it virtually impossible for any party to achieve the necessary percentage – over 45% – to avoid a re-election where the 50-seat jackpot will be reapplied to the winner.
housing and electricity
Polls give New Democracy, led by outgoing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, just over 30% of the vote; Tsipras falls a few points below this number. His followers hope that the polls will be wrong again. “They always do that with Syriza,” says three young people, Myrto, Chris and Anna, who went to listen to the former prime minister. His problems are not so different from those that a person his age can have in Barcelona. ” living place he gets us more than half a salary and also electric It’s the most expensive in Europe,” Myrto complained.
Remains of many years cuts that the Greeks surrendered. On many streets, establishments named in English still proliferate. love family and promoted by the Syriza government, which offered snacks at very popular prices during the crisis: a coffee, 80 cents; cheese sandwich, 1.20 euros. On Avenue Stadiou and other main arteries of the city, most of the streetlights stay off at night. At the same time, tourists are already filling up top luxury restaurants like the Athenée, which head chef Dionysis predicts will be a “good season” this year.
Everyone agrees on Avenue Stadiou, which was lively throughout the campaign despite the constant traffic interruptions that contributed to glorifying the traffic chaos in the Greek capital: Re-election is inevitable.. But not everyone agrees on the law reform that will calm it. Left-wing voters like Maria and Kostie, who waited outside the Rex Theater for the show to begin, often think that “change is good, it’s more democratic, and it will provide a more loyal representation of public opinion.” force the parties to compromise coalitions It doesn’t have to be negative.
Those who will vote for right-wing parties do not see it the same way. “History proves that it is very difficult. How will they cooperate with a party that wants to open the borders? immigrantsPetros, the owner of a buffet in Athens, after citing the Italian far-right Giorgia Meloni as an example of what needs to be done, asks himself: “Who can put 10 immigrants in his house?”
Pasok’s role
After the flood of immigration that contributed to polarizing Greek society a few years ago, the situation now looks different. However to cooperate one of the main gateways for those working in the country refugees To Europe, they believe the Conservative Government is trying to ensure that attention to newcomers does not have a pulling effect. In any case, it is noticeable that the flow in the refugee camps has decreased; Schisto, a facility southwest of Athens, is currently waiting for 670 asylum seekers, mostly from Afghanistan and Iran. The camp’s director, Thomas Papakonstantinou, explains that at the worst times “it’s more than 1,250”.
However, neither the analyst nor any of the citizens consulted said that immigration had changed in Sunday’s election, particularly in outlaw -alleged to be a criminal organization- ultras golden sunrise. His successors in the Greek National Party do not seem to have the same electoral power.
In Syntagma, Syriza’s central rally ended with rallies of radical left parties sometimes ending in Spain: with sparklers, ‘Bella Ciao’ in ska rhythm, and youths waving red flags from the stage. Other participants made calculations before going home; the most optimistic saw the option of a left-wing government without the need for a second election. “It will depend pasokThe Socialist Party, which is not socialist, but good, “Thanasis said sarcastically. The historical formation, like the Greek economy, is raising its head for the first time in a long time; this recovery is fragile: polls give it no more than 10% of the vote.