Greek government spokesman evokes old comedy film to skewer Tsipras's spending proposals

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis took aim at Alexis Tsipras during an interview on Mega TV on Saturday, 27 June 2026, zeroing in on the former premier's recent comments about Greece's fiscal surplus. Marinakis said the government is already using all the budgetary room allowed under European Union rules and warned that exceeding those limits would bring back surveillance and austerity.

A cinematic rebuke

Marinakis drew an unflattering parallel between Tsipras and the character Tependris, played by actor Lambros Konstantaras in the 1960s comedy "O Trelopenintaris" (The Crazy Fifty-Year-Old). He said Tsipras was "acting the gallant with other people's money: the Greek taxpayers'." The comparison turned the opposition's spending promises into the behaviour of a generous but reckless spender who does not foot the bill himself.

“Mr. Tsipras acts 'à la Tependris', as he promises money that doesn't exist.”

The EU fiscal straitjacket

Defending the government's position, Marinakis stressed that Athens is constrained by European fiscal architecture. "We cannot give more without violating European rules and we will return to surveillance conditions, with all that entails: austerity measures and so on," he said. He insisted that extra revenues being recorded are not from higher tax rates but from growth, investment, exports, new jobs and the fight against tax evasion.

Recalling the 2015 crisis

Marinakis revisited the Syriza government era, noting that Tsipras "on this day announced the referendum," a reference to 27 June 2015. He listed the repercussions: capital controls, bank closures, the imposition of numerous taxes and, in his words, a burden of 120 billion euros foisted on the country. He accused Tsipras of raising property tax (ENFIA), hiking tax prepayments and squeezing the middle class and the self-employed.

“Mr. Tsipras chose to increase ENFIA. He chose to tax the middle class. He chose to raise the tax prepayment and strangle both the self-employed and businesses.”

The government's economic scorecard

Marinakis presented a counter-narrative built on post-2019 data: roughly 600,000 new jobs created, dozens of taxes reduced, and the largest distance covered on the EU's actual individual consumption indicator. He acknowledged that Greece is "neither Switzerland nor Luxembourg" but noted that the country has moved from last or second-to-last to sixth from the bottom. The spokesperson argued that the gains are real even if not a cause for celebration.

Electoral outlook

On the political front, Marinakis predicted that "barring a major upset, our opponent will again be Mr. Tsipras," dismissing opposition proposals as tired slogans with no credible implementation plan. He maintained that tax cuts for all, especially the middle class and lower incomes, remain the government's guiding principle, while cautioning that high living costs cannot be eliminated with "magic recipes" and are being tackled gradually.