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Editorial

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Great Responsibility

The outcome of the second round of local elections in Greece on Sunday is another triumph for Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

It’s no exaggeration that since the map of Greece turned “blue,” the color of New Democracy, ND’s electoral victory in the local and the European parliamentary elections can be accurately characterized as triumphs.

Do you remember the last time this happened?

There is one element, however, that is a cause for concern: the high rate of voter absence.

In the first round it was 40.98%.

In the second it climbed to 56.14% – a very high percentage.

There are many reasons for this.

The most important is that people who were disappointed in the politicians decided not to vote in the first round, while in the second round, an extra 16%, thought the results were a given and decided instead… to go to the beach.

Now let’s return to the election results: Kyriakos changed the color of the map of Greece. Apart from…parts of his own homeland, Crete… and some islands of the North Aegean, it was solid ND Blue.

And this triumphal performance should be reprised in the national elections of July 7 – if Mr. Tsipras does not somehow radically alter the current reality.

The elections will make Mitsotakis all-powerful, both within his party and in the country, but it will also bring tremendous responsibilities:
To implement his program, to ease people’s tax burdens, to end the dysfunction and obstruction of the bureaucracy, to restore the dignity of the country, to improve – as much as it is possible – the Prespes Agreement, and to confront Turkey’s continuing threats.

Will he succeed?

Yes, he will. And I say so with objectivity because a glance at his resume leads to that conclusion:

Few believed he would win the ND leadership when there was so much opposition to him at the top – but he won by 400,000 votes.

Few believed that the difference with Mr. Tsipras in the European elections would exceed 5% – but Mitsotakis almost doubled that.
Few expected him to paint the political map of Greece blue in the regional elections – but so it was painted.

Kyriakos has made a career…of being underestimated. Yet at every step of his career he excelled and triumphed: from the University of Athens to Harvard and to Stanford universities. But also in the private sector where he worked for 10 whole years.

And now, he will triumph in the national elections – whenever they happen.

And then he will become a very good Prime Minister.

The Greek people need it above all – so that their country can prosper and their faith in their politicians can be restored.

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