19/10/2016
In Greek politics, 2015 had been a triumphant year for the Coalition of the Radical Left (commonly known by its acronym SYRIZA) and its leader Alexis Tsipras, as they managed to win two elections (in January and in September) and one referendum (in July). However, only one year after their last victory, both SYRIZA and Mr. Tsipras are in a very difficult position.
Mr. Tsipras’ government is obliged to implement the bailout agreement that they signed in the summer of 2015. As part of this agreement, a new set of harsh economic measures have been implemented. Despite the government’s promises, new taxes have been added, additional cuts in pensions have been imposed and recession has become endemic. The inability of the government to find solutions in the country’s great problems is coupled by the profound amateurism of most of the members of the cabinet, as well as their disapproval of the reforms which they have to implement in accordance with the bailout agreement.
As a result, the popularity of the government has drastically diminished. According to all the latest polls, Greek public opinion is overwhelmingly dissatisfied by the government, it does not believe that the country is going to the right direction, and it fears that the future might be even worse. Interestingly, even the majority of the voters of SYRIZA share the same views. Thus, it is not surprising that according to the same polls, SYRIZA is between 7 to 12 points behind the major opposition party of New Democracy. Practically all political analysts predict that in the case of new elections, SYRIZA will be defeated.
The situation seems to be better for New Democracy. Almost immediately after the election of its new leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the party has steadily secured first place in the polls. However, things are not easy for New Democracy either, as its percentages are almost the same with those that the party took in the elections of January and September 2015. To put it simply, New Democracy is first not because it is winning, but basically because SYRIZA is losing. At this stage, the trickiest problem for Mr. Mitsotakis is to convince more people who had not supported New Democracy in the last elections to vote for the party in the next elections. This is not an easy task, as many Greeks continue to blame the old political establishment –including New Democracy– for all the malice Greece has been suffering for almost seven years now.
It is very likely that the later these elections take place, the biggest the percentage of New Democracy will be. Even so, the ultimate challenge is not just to win the elections but to make a big difference when in government, as Greece –like Theseus, the ancient Greek hero– is trapped in the labyrinth of a vicious circle caused by the ongoing economic crisis. The Minotaur of recession is yet to be defeated: till this day, the current Greek government of Mr. Tsipras has been utterly unsuccessful in this respect. In the ancient Greek myth, Theseus managed to escape the labyrinth using Ariadne’s thread: nowadays, this thread is undoubtedly Greece’s return to growth but no Ariadne is on sight.