"The popular mandate I received on January 25 has exhausted its limits. With your vote you will decide if we represented you with the courage required by the conditions. "With your vote, you will decide whether the agreement we have reached provides the guarantees to get out of the memoranda," said the Prime Minister.
"We did not reach the agreement we expected before the January elections. However, we did not face the reaction we were expecting. In this battle we made concessions. "But we brought an agreement, which given what we inherited, was the best we could achieve," he noted. "We are obliged to observe it but we will fight to minimize its negative consequences."
He then spoke about an agreement with secured financing and gains in the negotiation, while referring to his request for the participation of the European Parliament in the evaluation of the implementation of the loan agreement. "I rely on your judgment, proud and calm with my conscience. We negotiated hard. We withstood pressure and blackmail. We have reached the limits of the truth. But we made Greece a global problem. The idea that there can be an end to austerity is gaining ground. "We, Greece, have played and continue to play a leading role with prestige and scope," said Alexis Tsipras.
"We have not experienced our best days yet," the Prime Minister concluded, again asking for the trust of the Greek people in the upcoming elections. "I want your vote so that we can govern more experienced and more committed, to put the country back on its feet." He called for a strong mandate, a stable government and coexistence with society, which wants reforms with a "progressive" sign, he said. "With your vote, you will decide who and how can lead Greece to the difficult but promising road that is opening," he underlined.
READ THE WHOLE SPEECH OF THE PRIME MINISTER
Greek women, Greeks
The last few months have been difficult and dramatic for all of us. Tough bargaining with creditors has been a major ordeal for both the government and the country. The pressures, the blackmails, the ultimatums, the credit crunch, led to an unprecedented situation. We all experienced it. But we all experienced the patience, the composure, the endurance of our people. The popular determination recorded by the referendum. The decision to change things, to change the country, to change everything that led us to the crisis and to social disintegration. Let us be clear: Without this popular determination the lenders would either have fully enforced their will. Or they would have led us to destruction. This determination was present at every stage of the negotiations. This determination gave strength to our own resistance, to our own day-to-day battle, with the often irrational demands and threats of the creditors. Today, this difficult phase is finally over, with the ratification of the agreement and the disbursement of the first tranche of 23 billion euros and the payment of the country's obligations both abroad and at home. The economy will breathe. The market will be normalized. Banks will slowly find their normal pace. This is certainly not the end of the difficult situation we have been living in for five years now. But I am convinced that, with the work and consistency of all of us, the beginning of the end of this difficult situation can be proved. The decisive step towards the normalization of the financing of our economy. A principle that is not easy, but gives us prospects and possibilities. As long as society is upright and present. Cool and demanding like all the previous period.
Greek men and women,
I want to be completely honest with you. We did not reach the agreement we expected before the January elections. However, we did not face the reaction we were expecting. In this battle we made concessions. But we came to an agreement that, given the overwhelmingly negative correlations in Europe, and given what we inherited from the country's absolute adherence to the terms of the memoranda, was that it was best to succeed. We are obliged to abide by this agreement but at the same time we will fight to minimize its negative consequences. Guided by the interests of many. In order to regain our dominance over the lenders as soon as possible. Without accepting as interpretations their interpretations. Without accepting horizontal cuts, labor atrocities, always bleeding of the weakest social forces. And we have already shown that we know and can fight and achieve a lot. Just remember what the position of the partners was before this agreement: Five months extension of the previous program, full implementation of the commitments of the previous government and then new prerequisites. Right now and after the referendum, we have an approved three-year agreement, with secured funding. Remember also that they asked us, immediate abolition of EKAS privatization of IPTO and the small PPC. The above were not accepted and were won. They also demanded the immediate application of the zero deficit clause to the supplementary funds. In the agreement there is an explicit reference to the search for equivalents and we are ready to give this battle. Also, the restoration of labor relations and the prevention of the liberalization of collective redundancies in the private sector, is our unwavering goal and I believe that we will achieve it. Dismissals in the public sector are a thing of the past, while school guards, cleaners and university administrators have returned. The 5 euro ticket is no longer available in the hospitals, while the process of recruiting 4.500 absolutely necessary medical and nursing staff is underway, through ASEP. Let us also not forget that we agreed on dramatically smaller surpluses than those of the previous government, with the result that the fiscal adjustment, ie the required measures, is lower by 20 billion euros. Still, the new loan agreement is not in the colonial English Law agreed by the Greek governments in the previous agreements, but is governed by European and international Law, while our country retains all the privileges and immunities that protect public property. And finally, for the first time in such an explicit and unequivocal way, the process for the reduction of the Greek debt was determined, which is perhaps the most critical knot in the solution of the Greek problem. So we gained important ground, without this meaning that we achieved what we and our people expected.
Greek women, Greeks
Now that this difficult cycle has come to an end, And contrary to the usual attitude of many who unfortunately consider themselves entitled to hold positions, seats, positions regardless of circumstances and circumstances, I feel the deep moral and political obligation to I put in your judgment everything I did. Both right and wrong. Both successes and omissions. That is why I decided and in a little while I will go to the President of the Republic in order to submit the resignation, as well as the resignation of the government. The popular mandate I received on January 25th has exhausted its limits. And now the sovereign people must speak again. You, in your vote, will decide whether we represented the country with the determination and courage required by the difficult negotiations with the lenders. You, with your vote, will decide whether the agreement we have reached provides the conditions for overcoming the current deadlocks, for the economy to recover, for us to finally enter the process of getting rid of the memoranda and the cruelty that they entail. You, with your vote, will decide who and how can lead Greece to the difficult but finally hopeful road that opens before us. Who and how can best negotiate debt relief. Who and how can proceed with a confident and steady pace to the necessary, deep, progressive reforms that the country needs. You, finally, with your vote, will judge us all. And those who gave the battle inside and outside the country, so that Greece would not be in the squad. And those who, invoking ideological consistency, suggesting the view that Greece needs borrowing, that is, a memorandum, but with a drachma, committed the extreme inconsistency to turn into a parliamentary minority the majority that our people gave to the first government in the country, the Left. But also those from the old political system and the centers of entanglement, who all this time were calling and pressuring us, in coordination with the toughest centers of the lenders, to sign whatever they put in front of us. In fact, slandering our resistance as an alleged obstacle.
Greek women, Greeks
I rely on your judgment with a clear conscience. Proud of the battle I and my government fought. I struggled all this time to stay true to what we promised. We negotiated hard and persistently for a long time. We withstood pressure and blackmail. We have reached the truth in situations that are marginal for the people and the economy. However, we made the case of Greece a global case. We made the resistance of our people a flag and an incentive to fight for other European peoples. And Europe is not the same after this difficult semester. The idea that there must finally be an end to austerity is gaining ground. The differences between democratic and progressive European powers are becoming more and more noticeable. And we, Greece, with prestige and scope many times our size, have played and continue to play a leading role in the changes that are coming. In the debate on the future of Europe, Greece will be at the forefront. Yesterday, in a letter, I asked the President of the European Parliament to give the European Parliament, as an institution with direct democratic legitimacy, an active role in the Greek program. Transparency, open democratic debate, democratic accountability, impact assessment, will now be an integral part of the implementation of our agreement with our partners.
Greek women, Greeks
All this time, despite the tough negotiations and the difficult conditions, we have also managed to leave behind a different example of governance. The regulation of the hundred doses, the measures for the humanitarian crisis, ERT, the bill for the radio and television frequencies, the law for the immigrants, the decisive intervention to stop the environmental crime in Skouries, and dozens of other measures and initiatives, certify this the new handwriting sample. And they also certify our decision to change the country with courage and confidence, utilizing social support for reform goals. We still have a lot of difficult battles ahead of us, this time inside the country. The fight against entanglement and corruption, which has just begun. The battle to finally pay the eternally won, which so far no one has dared to touch. The fight for justice for those who are still above the law. The fight against tax evasion, for a fair and stable tax system. The battle of battles to change the state, so that it becomes more effective every day. More citizen friendly. More hostile to bribery, partisanship, and corruption. And all this requires a clear mandate, a strong government, a steady and unwavering course. And above all, they require coexistence with society. With all those who want change with democracy, reforms with a progressive sign, transparency and justice.
Greek women, Greeks,
Despite the difficulties, I remain optimistic. I believe that we have not yet experienced our most beautiful days, trapped in the grip of the negotiation. I will ask for the vote of the Greek people, so that we can govern and unfold all aspects of our government program. More experienced, more prepared, more down to earth, but always committed to the ultimate goal of a free, democratic, and socially just Greece, we will stand up and be consistent in the new conditions. I assure you that I am not going to give up and we are not going to give up the shield of our ideas and values. To anyone and in the face of any difficulty. And I call on you, all together, with composure and determination, to give the difficult battle to get the country back on its feet. To keep these difficult times, Greece and democracy in our hands. And lift it up.
Thank you
Source: www.lifo.gr