ATHENS: Greek ex-prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who hopes to clinch an absolute majority in next week’s general election, is credited with returning his debt-ridden country to a path of growth.
He is on course to win the vote despite a wiretapping scandal and a devastating train crash in February, which have blighted his record and contributed to low turnout among voters disillusioned with politics.
Mitsotakis, a scion of a conservative dynasty that has dominated Greek politics for decades, is seeking a second straight four-year term as prime minister.
His Conservative New Democracy party came first in last month’s general election but with insufficient votes for a workable parliamentary majority.
He called a new snap vote for June 25 in a bid to obtain an even broader victory and govern alone.
The 55-year-old Harvard graduate, who worked at US financial consultancy McKinsey, has offered his country a rare respite from economic instability in the face of global upheavals including Covid and the war in Ukraine.
Greece’s remarkable economic recovery from the pandemic is one of Mitsotakis’ top talking points, in addition to heavy spending on defence.
Economic record
Although Greece lost out on vital tourism revenues during Covid, it posted growth of 8.3 percent in 2021 and 5.9 percent in 2022.
Economic issues nevertheless remain a key concern with voters.
Left-wing former premier Alexis Tsipras says the rosy headline figures belie growing poverty and wages that are failing to keep pace with rising prices.
Mitsotakis’ conservatives say they increased national output by 29 billion euros ($31.4 billion) during their four years in office.
They also claim to have overseen the largest infrastructure upgrade since 1975, including highways, airports, ports and marinas.
Greece’s Mitsotakis eyes new term in uncertain ballot
When a devastating head-on train collision killed 57 people in February, Mitsotakis’ administration initially blamed the tragedy on human error, before acknowledging the parlous state of the rail network.
He says his government cut 50 taxes, upped the minimum wage, and propped up businesses and individuals through lockdowns and inflation with support packages worth over 57 billion euros.
He has promised to levy no new taxes, and vowed to hire 10,000 doctors and nurses for the understaffed public health system.
Wooing young voters
First elected to parliament in 2004, Mitsotakis became leader of New Democracy in 2016 and took Greece’s top job in 2019, trouncing Tsipras, who had been premier during some of Greece’s rockiest economic years.
Born in Athens in 1968, Mitsotakis hails from a political dynasty.
His sister Dora Bakoyannis was mayor of Athens and a government minister. Her son is the capital’s current mayor.
Tall, slender and uptight, Mitsotakis stopped wearing ties on the campaign trail and courted selfies with teens in an effort to appear personable.
But he is awkward around crowds and has struggled to shake off his elitist image.
With nearly 440,000 youth votes at stake, he has taken to posting behind-the-scenes clips from his campaign on TikTok and shots of his rescue dog Peanut.
Wiretap, masks and migrants
At the onset of the pandemic, Mitsotakis earned plaudits for keeping a lid on virus deaths.
But he caused outrage at the height of a strict lockdown when photos emerged of him, his wife and friends biking on Mount Parnitha, 45 kilometres (30 miles) from Athens.
None were wearing masks despite the requirement to do so outdoors.
Then an illegal wiretapping scandal targeting journalists and political figures including Socialist opposition leader Nikos Androulakis dealt another blow to his record.
Mitsotakis has sought to woo the conservative base with a tough line on migration.
Greece is a landing point for tens of thousands of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, many fleeing conflict or poverty.
Last month his government earned international approbium over footage reportedly showing migrants being forcefully pushed back out to sea and set adrift.
And this week, after a migrant tragedy off Greece in which at least 78 died and hundreds were feared missing, the United Nations stressed:“The duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law”.