ATHENS – The Greeks will compare the work of the two governments and decide, government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou, said late on Thursday in a debate with main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou on state television.

Oikonomou said that the financial support to the citizens gave them a breather and came from the dividend of growth and not from overtaxation. He added that the government’s policy is supporting the many with options that did not expose the country to the markets and the support was given to help the country amidst the biggest crisis cocktail the country has ever known.

In reply to a question why a young person should vote for ruling New Democracy (ND) party in the upcoming elections, Oikonomou said:

“Because he deserves the right to live in a prosperous country and have the life he has dreamt of.”

When asked if New Democracy did everything it could to shed light on the wiretapping case, Oikonomou said that this case “tested the resilience of the institutions” and underlined that “we did not hide, political responsibility was assumed, there were resignations, and many things changed in the intelligence service EYP.”

Oikonomou also referred to regional Greece and said that a unique investment project is developing in the region.

He also mentioned that the government understands the citizens’ problems. “For us, politics is a solution to problems, and this is our difference with SYRIZA, which is interested in the perpetuation of problems,” Oikonomou said.

SYRIZA will win the elections and form a progressive government, Tsapanidou says

The SYRIZA government had protected the first residence and the citizens know this and the prime minister admitted it in the Parliament, main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou said late on Thursday in a debate with government spokesman Yiannis Economou.

“The New Democracy bankruptcy law changed things so that banks and funds are not obliged to settle with the owners. We are calling on the government to suspend primary residence foreclosures until the elections in order to protect vulnerable households in dire need. Immediately after, SYRIZA will enact a law that will protect the first residence and provide for negotiation and judicial protection of the borrower.”

Tsapanidou underlined that SYRIZA brought the country out of the crisis and offered the possibility to the ND government to pursue an economic policy with much better conditions.

In reply to a question why the citizens should vote for SYRIZA, she answered: “Because the people saw the result of the effort made. We received a collapsed country, we had the troika, we brought results, we settled the debt, we took the country out of the memoranda, taking care of the whole society. Our programme is based on different priorities from (Prime Minister Kyriakos) Mitsotakis who favors the few and powerful”.

Tsapanidou estimated that SYRIZA will win the elections and form a progressive government on the first round of elections.