Mitsotakis to Figaro: End of populism near in Greece

Main opposition leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, this week again told foreign media that the thrice bailed-out Greece will provide the first example of a country that has emerged from the clutches of 21st century “populism”.

Mitsotakis’ again painted the current Greek government, now entirely composed of leftist SYRIZA cadres and a handful of independent MPs and previous office-holders hailing from Greece’s right-wing political spectrum to socialist PASOK, as the direct product of populist rhetoric and positions.

His interview was carried by the French mass daily “Le Figaro”.

With his center-right New Democracy (ND) party riding high in all mainstream opinion polls, the former minister repeated that “populism brought SYRIZA to power in 2015 … since then we’ve all realized that they are liars and incompetent, and that we must turn the page.”

He again ticked off his priorities for an upcoming ND government – assuming it comes in first in the next election and can form a majority in Parliament – such as a more effective public administration, improvements in education and less delays in the justice system.