Greece's next general elections will take place in 2027, at the end of the government's term, and the "2.5 years that remain are a very important period of time for implementing a specific body of work," Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis underlined in an interview with the newspaper "Thessaloniki" released on Saturday.
He also noted that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had "given clear answers regarding a possible change in electoral law and categorically ruled out any such scenario." Regarding postal voting by Greeks abroad in the general elections, the spokesperson said the government had pledged to make this happen.
Marinakis stressed that the government's position on the electoral law was "not negotiable" and any proposals for changing the bonus system for coalitions of parties was entirely separate from the issue of expatriates voting.
The interview also touched on the recent developments regarding the 2023 train collision at Tempi, asserting that the government would be the last to gain from delays in submitting important items of evidence. "It would only be in the interests of those who from the first moment tried to exploit the unspeakable anguish of the victims relatives for this evidence to never appear," he added.
The deputy minister also stressed the important role played by the deputy Macedonia-Thrace ministry in coordinating government and other agencies in northern Greece, enabling it to have a greater and more important role in southeastern Europe.
Questioned about the possibility of a Greek veto against North Macedonia for failing to abide by the terms of the Prespa Agreement, as Bulgaria has done for its own bilateral issues with North Macedonia, Marinakis said:
"Following the elections in the neighbouring country, we heard statements by its political and state leadership that clearly contravene the letter and spirit of the Prespa Agreement. Greece desires good neighbourly relations, however, it should be absolutely clear that there can be no concessions as regards international agreements for a state that wishes to be part of the international community. The country's path towards the European Union passes through full respect for the European acquis and international law, including international treaties, something that the prime minister has made clear in every way…Greece is closely monitoring this process and will take whatever action is required."
Marinakis also criticised main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change for accusations targeting the prime minister as the alleged "orchestrator" of supposed attempts to cover up responsibilities for the Tempi collision, noting that the ruling party has agreed to an investigation but does not espouse the main opposition's narrative "and the attempt to create impressions and politicise the tragic accident that justice is investigating."
Replying to a question about possible European armaments sales to Turkiye, Marinakis underlined that Greece was now stronger than ever, both diplomatically and as regards its defence.
"Additionally, look at the big picture: whereas we were once the black sheep of Europe just a few years ago, we have managed to become protagonists. We brought 43 billion euros for the pandemic and with the National Plan Greece 2.0 we brought 17.7 billion euros to the country. Moreover, the efforts by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with other foreign leaders, for defence are now being vindicated. I remind you of the recent proposal for the creation of a 100-billion-euro fund for defence and the exemption of investments for defence from fiscal targets," he said, adding that the government's job was to focus on the country's progress and not rumours about the armament programmes of other countries.