A single-party majority as the election pitch

Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke to residents in Vrilissia, in Analipseos Square, on the afternoon of Friday, 23 October, and used the meeting to argue for a single-party majority at the next elections. He pointed to projects already launched in Vrilissia, in Attica and across the country, saying the best was still to come. He described the international environment as increasingly complicated, with Greece moving from one crisis to the next, and said a government that keeps a steady hand on the tiller carries particular weight. He argued that having to negotiate with smaller parties over every small matter would make governing much harder, and he presented New Democracy as the only party with a clear plan for the future.

“In the next elections, a single-party majority is a political one-way street. Not for the party, but for the country.”

Attacks on the opposition over the minors' bill

Mitsotakis criticised opposition parties for not voting on a bill on Thursday, 22 October. Some reports describe the legislation as a bill on children's mental health, while others frame it as a measure restricting minors' access to social media, with one describing a ban for those under 15. Skai reported that his criticism was particularly sharp toward PASOK. He said the government had listened to parents and families and wanted to legislate something obvious, namely that large online platforms should not profit at children's expense. He added that the animosity toward him had prevented a national consensus on the issue, and concluded that a single-party majority was the only route forward.

Cost of living and the pre-election budget

He acknowledged that high prices continue to weigh on Greek households and promised that the government would keep supporting society, particularly those most in need. In the same passage, he stressed fiscal responsibility. He contrasted Greece with other countries, where he said budgets were built on austerity, with benefits cut and taxes raised, while Greece could discuss measures sized to what it can afford. He also criticised how SYRIZA handled the economy during its time in office. Skai reported that he spoke of a plan for Greece in 2030 that would turn accumulated gains into a dividend for every Greek, and of a savings account, a 'piggy bank', to be created for each child with a state contribution. On the spending question, he was direct:

“I will never allow us, under the temptation of a prolonged pre-election period, to start handing out money we do not have.”

Security, 2012 and 2015, and the Tsipras book

He said the first obligation of any government is to keep the country safe, and stated that Greece is safe today, with strong armed forces and a foreign policy that has enhanced the country's standing. He linked the stakes of the vote to security and challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean. Referring to protests and unrest in other European capitals, including France, he said students and teachers had demonstrated peacefully in Greece without a return to the scenes of 2012 and 2015:

“We did not return to the images of 2012 and 2015, and we will never go back.”

He also took aim at a book by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, in which Tsipras argued for how good the Greece handed over in 2019 had been. Mitsotakis countered by asking which Greece had been handed over, one with 18% unemployment and islands being overwhelmed by migrants.