Just a week following the Greek elections, Greece’s political parties are already engaging in rhetorical accusations against each other.
Controversy has not surrounded Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras‘s address at the United Nations General Assembly, but rather his conversation with former United States President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative. The conservative New Democracy; runner-up of the September 20 elections, strongly criticized Tsipras for his approach and his assertions during the 30 minute discussion.
“It is unprecedented. The prime minister himself is defaming and undermining the country,” the party’s announcement reads, criticizing Tsipras for claiming that investors in Greece are forced to make illegal payments and that relationships in Greece are corrupt.
“He is not bringing in investments, he is pushing them out. Because he does not want investments. He doe not believe in them, it is sad,” New Democracy noted.
New Democracy Interim President Evangelos Meimarakis further accused Tsipras of being unprepared for his conversation with Clinton and questioned whether this was also the case during negotiations with international creditors on July 12th.
Meimarakis, who has yet to reveal whether he will run as a candidate for New Democracy’s presidency, added that Tsipras still has to improve.
In response to the criticism, Greek government spokesperson Olga Gerovasili claimed that the prime minister’s successful trip to New York has evidently left New Democracy in an awkward position.
“However, it is at the very least provocative for New Democracy’s interim leader to accuse Alexis Tsipras of going into the discussion unprepared, when his party was willing to capitulate to any of the creditors’ desires, while it was in government,” Gerovasili noted in a press release, according to Greek media reports.
New Democracy did not let this go unanswered, and responded, claiming that Tsipras and ANEL leader Panos Kammenos signed a third unnecessary and harsh bailout.
“It is sad for your country’s Prime Minister to be talking and the audience he speaks to, to be laughing,” the short announcement reads.
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