Greek PM eyes third term, dismisses early elections talk

Athens, April 24 (IANS) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reaffirmed his intention to seek a third term in office, contingent on securing continued public support.

In an interview with the "Direct" vidcast of online news provider protothema.gr, Mitsotakis on Wednesday dismissed speculation surrounding early elections or potential changes to the electoral law.

Looking ahead to his policy address at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September, the Prime Minister said the government's focus would be on delivering further tax relief for the middle class, Xinhua news agency reported.

He cited recent economic initiatives -- including rental subsidies and pension support -- as examples of his administration's reform-oriented approach.

Mitsotakis first assumed office in 2019 with a decisive majority and was re-elected in 2023.

That election was the first in the EU nation's post-bailout era, at a time when businesses and workers were ailing under the burden of heavy taxes imposed by Syriza to build a budget surplus demanded by international creditors.

Over the next four years, tax burdens were eased, and while the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out Greece's vital tourism revenues, the country has since bounced back strongly with growth of 8.3 per cent in 2021 and 5.9 per cent last year.

That was helped in part by more than 57 billion euros ($62 billion) dished out by the government to cushion the impact of the health crisis and inflation.

Mitsotakis also had licence to spend more under the EU's more relaxed pandemic-era rules.

He has played up Greece's newfound economic health in his re-election bid, saying his conservatives have cut 50 taxes while increasing national output by 29 billion euros and overseeing the largest infrastructure upgrades since 1975.

The message appeared to have gone down well with voters weary of Greece's debt years that were awash with job losses, rising payments and companies going bankrupt.

Although inflation remains a key concern for voters, Alexis Tsipras's of the leftist Syriza party call for wage hikes failed to garner momentum.

He remains for many the Prime Minister who nearly crashed Greece out of the euro, and the leader who reneged on a vow of abolishing austerity to sign the country on to more painful bailout terms.

--IANS

int/khz