New Democracy

Fines and measures against profiteering in the broader market will be announced soon, noted Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to the Ministry of Development on Saturday.

A bill that will make it easier for Greeks abroad to vote in national elections will be debated in a parliamentary committee starting Thursday, with the aim of it being voted on by MPs by the end of next week.

Three months ago, I made the decision to actively engage with the Greek national elections as a brief interlude between two chapters in my business career. An expat who transferred to boarding school in Massachusetts, I have now lived outside Greece for 60% of my life.

The pre-election period was long, and exhausting. It essentially started in January and ended six months later. The fatigue of government officials and party cadres is reasonable and a given. In a small country like Greece, parties don't have the luxury of having one team that prepares the government program for the next four years and another that runs the pre-election campaign.

The package of relief measures announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Parliament this past week as part of his policy statements will be introduced in three stages: this year, 2024, and 2025-2026.

A draft law containing New Democracy's campaign commitments for the elections held May 21 and June 25 is expected to be posted for public consultation this week.

As expected, the government won the confidence vote, 158-142, at the end of a three-day parliamentary debate.

Also as expected, only the ruling New Democracy voted for the government, with MPs of the other seven parties voting against.

The election result proved that Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his aides are better than their rivals at reading society. That is why, with the winner's large bonus in seats, New Democracy enjoys a comfortable majority in Parliament, where the prime minister on Thursday announced his government's policy for the next four years. 

Presenting his government's vision for the future in Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the implementation of the fourth cycle of Greece's modernization. 

New Democracy's strategy of capitalizing on sensitive political issues that appeal to far-right audiences during Greece's general election, where the conservatives achieved a landslide victory over their leftist rivals, also fueled the rise of fringe parties, according to political analysts.

Re-elected Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged his conservative government would "fix the sins of the past" and over the next four years cut taxes, boost wages and pensions, and repay bailout debts earlier than expected.

Mitsotakis, 55, won 158 seats in the 300-seat parliament in a June 25 national election, securing a clear majority to push ahead with his plan.