AGRINIO – Now that a televised debate between the party leaders has finally be agreed, the parties pushing for a “progressive governance” must finally explain what exactly they mean by this, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in the western Greek city of Agrinio, talking to people that gathered to meet him there on Saturday.

“I had become tired for some weeks now of hearing this discussion about the debate, that we do not want a debate. Well, today a debate was agreed, as I had said from the first moment. We will all go together, to talk about the things we want to do and so that the masks will fall. Because we will be together in the debate, all the party leaders, as is right in a democracy. And the rest of the parties can come and explain to us how exactly they understand this ‘progressive governance’, this government of losers that some want to initiate. This government that will possibly bring together, in their mind, SYRIZA, PASOK, Varoufakis and the ‘Demeter’,” he said.

“All this would be funny if it were not so dangerous,” Mitsotakis commented, noting some people had attempted to do implement such policies in 2015 and had brought the country to the brink of disaster, before being forced into a dramatic u-turn that “cost Greece 100 billion euros”. “There is only one way to defend from such thoughts: an all-powerful New Democracy in the elections of May 21. From the moment that we are the victors by a large margin relative to the second party, all these scenarios go out the window,” he said.

He also noted that his government had worked hard and achieved a great many things in the last four years, while acknowledging that some mistakes had been made. “I never said I was infallible, only a person who does absolutely nothing can be infallible,” he added.

This great effort to get the country back on its feet, so that young people could look to the future with greater optimism, must not be left half-finished, Mitsotakis stressed. “The country must not slide back. We must not again experiment with failed recipes. The country must go forward with steadiness, boldness and at a faster pace,” he added.

“Wherever I go, the citizens don’t say to me ‘don’t make changes’ or ‘don’t carry out reforms’, they generally ask me to ‘go even faster’…and this is our commitment for the next four years. We are more experienced, we are readier, we are more seasoned. We know where we want to take Greece. Give us the strength to make our country even stronger, for all Greeks to prosper with greater social justice,” the prime minister said. He emphasised that the Left did not have a monopoly on social sensitivity and that ND was a party for all Greeks, which looked after working people, citing the increase in the minimum wage and the Digital Labour Card as examples.

He promised that the next four-year term will be the one in which the decreases in the taxation of income will be followed by an increase in wages and the creation of better-paid jobs that will bring unemployment below 10 pct, as well as attracting more investments.

“We must continue to grow at rates that are much faster than the rest of Europe because this is the foundation on which we build our collective prosperity. We want to cover the distance that separates us from Europe,” he said, adding that remaining in Europe was not enough and Greece has to “become Europe everywhere”.