Tsipras coins 'Adonism' to attack Mitsotakis, jokes about sending flowers to Georgiadis
At a party event in Peristeri, Alexis Tsipras responded to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis's attacks by coining the term 'Adonism' to describe a political philosophy he says is orchestrated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He also joked he would send flowers to Georgiadis, claiming each insult boosts his poll numbers by one point.
The speech in Peristeri
Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), addressed supporters at an open discussion event titled "Now We Talk" in Peristeri on 9 July 2026. The format, he said, is the model of interactive governance his party would implement if it wins power, aiming to close the distance between citizens and democratic authority. Six citizens spoke before him about everyday problems, and Tsipras framed the gathering as a response to what he called an era of "monsters" marked by inequality, corruption, and toxicity.
Response to Adonis Georgiadis
Tsipras devoted a significant portion of his speech to rebutting recent attacks from Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, who had reportedly called him the "dirtiest prime minister of the post-dictatorship era." Recounting a political anecdote about Georgios Papandreou dismissing an interrupter in parliament, Tsipras said he reacted similarly when told of the insult: "I asked, 'Who said that? Adonis? Well, then it has absolutely no significance.'"
I won't sue him, I'll send him flowers, because every time he insults us we go up one point in the polls.
The concept of 'Adonism'
Tsipras argued that the problem is not Georgiadis personally but a broader phenomenon he labeled "Adonism." He defined it as a political philosophy chosen, favored, and orchestrated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, not by Georgiadis alone. He noted that Georgiadis has been a minister for seven years, equating Mitsotakis with Georgiadis and vice versa.
The problem of the country and the political toxicity we are experiencing is not Adonis, but Adonism.
What is Adonism? It is a political philosophy that has been chosen, favored and orchestrated, not by Adonis, but by Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Corruption as an invisible tax
Tsipras accused the government of extensive corruption, claiming that every euro lost to bribes and direct assignments is a euro taken from public schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. He described corruption as an "invisible tax" that citizens pay, eroding trust in institutions and undermining both democracy and the economy. He insisted that the demand for honesty was made central by the New Democracy government itself over its seven years in power, not by his party.
Every euro that goes to bribes, direct assignments, is lost from public schools, hospitals, infrastructure.
Corruption has a cost: the invisible tax that citizens pay.
Economic critique and vision
Tsipras challenged the government's economic success narrative, citing data that wages and purchasing power have fallen in recent years due to high prices. He pointed to energy costs, the profits of the public power corporation DEI, and bonuses for what he called "blue children" (party loyalists). He argued that speaking the language of the people about injustice is not populism, and that no country can progress with such large inequalities. He closed by reiterating that citizens seek justice, dignity, and perspective, not miracles.
