ATHENS – After disappointing results for New Democracy candidates in European Parliament elections led him to shake up his Cabinet, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his parliamentary group they have to heed the voters’ message.

“The citizens demand a lot from us, they want fewer mistakes and more effort, tangible results and not just promises,” he said, assessing what drove down votes for the Conservatives, with Greeks unhappy over high supermarket prices.

Marking the first anniversary of winning a second term in June, 2023 elections in a second rout of the major rival SYRIZA, he said that showed, “We received a resounding mandate from the citizens to implement our plan. This order is valid in its entirety, even after the European elections. The result does not reflect the goal we had set, but it reflects the clear supremacy of the party,” he said.

He added: “We must be honest and interpret the stance of the voters, especially those who abstained as a result of our own weaknesses, noting that those who abstained “deliberately chose not to trust another political force,” his rivals.

After pursuing foreign investors and luxury resorts taking over public beaches, he said attention now needs to be turned to ordinary citizens and what they want and need, and rejected critics assertions he and his party are elitists serving the rich.

“With our actions we serve the interests of our most vulnerable fellow citizens. We have three years ahead of us, enough political time. It allows us to correct mistakes and advance the government’s work. Citizens demand immediate results. We have made significant progress compared to what was happening last year,” he also said.