Not after the elections, again
When you ask certain ministers when they intend to officially announce a measure they’ve previously promised, you often receive the response: “Oh, that will happen after the elections.” This is where the confusion starts, because we’ve already had elections in May, June and just a week ago, so they must be referring to the European Parliament elections in May 2024.
Someone needs to put an end to this or the country will never be effectively governed. The only person capable of doing so, of course, is the prime minister himself.
Let’s contemplate the worst-case scenario. Let’s assume that New Democracy suffers a setback in the European Parliament elections. It’s admittedly hard to imagine the conservatives finishing second or to predict who they might lose to, but let’s entertain this possibility. So what? Is New Democracy competing for some sort of Guinness World Record of consecutive electoral victories? The party emerged triumphant in the general elections, just as it did in the first round of local elections. Its dominance in the political arena is unquestionable. It only faltered in the second round of local polls after voters detected signs of arrogance or political avarice.
The risk of defeat in 2024 may indeed be real, and it could result in ill-advised actions, as has occurred in the past, including poorly conceived reshuffles and a halt to reform efforts. This is why it is imperative to promptly implement all the reforms and any unpopular measures across every sector. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has a recent and robust mandate. There’s no genuine opponent either within or outside the party.
But it falls upon him to establish the priorities, not every minister or advisor who inexplicably appears on television to announce various decisions. Because this often seems to be the case, and subsequently, those who jump the gun usually react by blaming journalists, using the argument, “that is not really what I said.” By prematurely and haphazardly unveiling decisions that necessitate both political and communicative support, they cause panic. For example, a plan to legalize migrants or the much-discussed same-sex marriage. Whether they are really important reforms and should be implemented is again a matter for the prime minister. But it is absurd to waste political capital in the worst possible way, with an announcement that costs dearly and may ultimately never come to fruition.
The political clock ticks unforgivingly. The second four-year term always feels like a video played at a faster pace. Those who grasp this reality prefer to set the priorities and move ahead, irrespective of opinion polls. And they prohibit anyone from setting their own priorities, or uttering the dreaded phrase, “Let’s leave it for after the elections.”
