The formal countdown until the 7 July general election begins today.
Mr. Tsipras had no other choice after his enormous defeat in the 26 May European election but to request of the President of the Republic the dissolution of Parliament.
After over four years of SYRIZA rule, the country by all appearances is preparing to turn a page.
In the 26 days until parliamentary elections citizens will draw their conclusions about who will govern the country.
Though a solid majority has already decided who they feel is best suited to manage the country’s future, the next few weeks will be decisive in determining the power balances in the next Parliament.
The experience of the years of the crisis – combined with the dashed hopes that had been cultivated by the ruling party – has changed the priorities of the Greek people.
A plethora of splinter parties and the rise of new would-be stars appear to no longer inspire the electorate, which now seeks greater security and realism.
It is clear that Mr. Tsipras’ handouts and old-party politics no longer inspire people.
A restructuring of the economy, an end to amateurishness and ideological fixations, and a return to normalcy are the criteria that will determine the choices of the electorate.
The truth be told, the debate over parties’ platforms was rarely the main element in political campaigns.
Still, after the painful experiences of the last years and the broken promises it is time in the run-up to the election for a substantial debate about what kind of Greece we want.
Beyond easy slogans, hollow pledges, and opportunistic partisan interests, we must seek out and demand a specific plan and clear proposals on the economy, growth, social benefits, and education.
The Greek people have suffered enough from grand rhetoric and vague and unfeasible pledges.
For the first time in a long while Greece appears to have a substantial opportunity.
It is time to stop scraping the bottom of the barrel and to start seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Those vying for power and the entire political system have a duty not to waste this opportunity.
Instead of sterile, polarising campaigns let us at long last have a substantial debate in which views and positions about how to ensure a better future can be judged, rather than skirmishes over the troubled past.
. Αντί για μια άγονη και πολωτική προεκλογική περίοδο, να δούμε επιτέλους μια αντιπαράθεση ουσίας,μια μάχη απόψεων και θέσεων για ένα καλύτερο αύριο κι όχι για ένα άγονο χθες.
