Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis finally announced the date for the parliamentary elections on Tuesday.
“2023 elections will be held at the end of the four-year legislative period, on May 21,” Mitsotakis said in a live broadcast from a meeting with the Council of Ministers, the last one before the elections.
“The country and the citizens need clear horizons and despite those who spread the opposite scenarios, the elections will be held at the end of the 4 years. They will take place on May 21.”
In the event that a government is not formed in the first round of elections, “the second round, so as to cancel the adventure of the simple majority, will be held by the beginning of July the latest,” the PM added. – Or the last Sunday of June, media report.
He stressed the lack of governance due to “simple majority” claiming that “all countries that apply this system are unable to be governed,” even cited “Bulgaria as an example, saying that there have been five electoral contests in two years.”
Note that with the “simple majority” that is first time implemented in Greece after decades, there is no seats-bonus for the party getting the highest voters’ rate.
“The first ballot will decide who will govern and the second how they will govern,” Mitsotakis said during his introduction at the Council of Ministers adding “majority government with New Democracy means a strong Greece.”
“Citizens will be asked to judge preparedness in crisis management as well as honesty. The people will weigh in and I’m sure they will make the right decision,” he emphasized adding “our motto from now on is: we move forward together, changing Greece more uncompromisingly and bolder.”
“Despite the great difficulties, we kept all pre-election commitments. We reduced taxes and contributions, have better hospitals and health services and supported the income of the citizens” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
According to the Constitution, the Premier will have to officially inform the President of the Republic on the elections date, the parliament will be dissolved on April 12 that coincides with the Easter holidays, a caretaker government will be appointed with a new Interior Minister who will lead the country to elections and a new government spokesman.
“Despite the great difficulties, we kept all pre-election commitments. We reduced taxes and contributions, have better hospitals and health services and supported the income of the citizens” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
This joke comes to mind:
“It once happened, on a certain day, a bull and a pheasant were grazing on the field. The bull was grazing on the grass, the pheasant was picking ticks off the bull; they are partners, you know?
Then the pheasant looked at a huge tree which was at the edge of the field, and very nostalgically said, “Alas, there was a time when I could fly to the top most branch of the tree, but today I do not have the strength even to fly to the first branch of the tree”
The bull very nonchalantly said, “That’s no problem! Eat a little bit of my dung every day, you will see, within a fortnight’s time you will reach the top of the tree.”
The pheasant said, “Oh, come off it! How is that possible?”
The bull replied, “Really, please try and see. The whole humanity is on it, you could try, too.”
Very hesitantly, the pheasant started pecking at the dung, and lo, on the very first day it reached the first branch of the tree. In a fortnight’s time, it reached the topmost branch of the tree. It just went and sat on the topmost branch and just enjoyed the scenery. The old farmer saw a fat old pheasant on the top of the tree. He took out his shotgun and shot him off the tree. So the moral of the story is: even bullshit can get you to the top, but never lets you stay there.”
“Citizens will be asked to judge preparedness in crisis management as well as honesty. The people will weigh in and I’m sure they will make the right decision,”
My mother and father in-law were both staunch socialist but they were both members of the conservative club, because it had much better facilities than the labour club. I remember drinking there with them once just before a general election and the local conservative candidate came round shaking hands with everybody. He said to my mother in-law, “I hope I can rely on your vote”. With a completely straight face she replied, “You can rely on me to do the right thing”. I wonder if the citizens of Greece will “Do the right thing”?
PS I have no political allegiance and also no vote. I seem to have a dim and distance recollection of a phrase along the lines of, “No taxation without representation” yet I seem to pay an awful lot of tax in Greece?
PPS Why the long delay between rounds. IN past elections wasn’t it two weeks?
no it wans’t