ATHENS — The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has shown itself "not just incapable of managing such a critical situation but also dangerous," main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras said late on Monday night, while speaking at an open theatre in Thessaloniki.

"It is dangerous because it puts ideolepsy, interests and profits above people's lives…because it used the pandemic as an opportunity during these unprecedented conditions to implement a programme so deeply toxic and socially unfair that even the troika would be ashamed of it," he said.

He also accused the government of "frivolity and amateurism" in its management of the pandemic, expressing hope that this will not lead to a fourth lockdown.

"Those who, a few days ago, were celebrating the final victory against the coronavirus for the second time in the year are capable of once again shunting responsibility onto the backs of the citizens…passing blame for their own inadequacy and inertia and mistaken calculations onto personal responsibility," Tsipras said. This divided the citizens at a time when Greek society needed trust, unity and solidarity, he added.

He called on the government to encourage vaccination through reason and sound arguments, rather than threats, bribes and coercion, and to make "all citizens from Evros to Crete feel … that against the virus there is single, unified national effort."

Tsipras accused the prime minister on being more focused on his own political survival than on dealing with the pandemic at a time when the country needed leadership that could persuade and unite the people. He also forecast that the prime minister was planning a snap election before the "popular verdict comes in" but warned that SYRIZA was ready and the +"people will not be duped".

He urged voters to grant SYRIZA victory by even one vote so that a new, strong, progressive government comes into power.