Tsipras a threat to Greek democracy Mitsotakis tells PBS

Main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has declared that PM Alexis Tsipras poses a threat to Greek democracy in an interview with Ian Bremmer, an American political scientist who is founder and chief of the political risk consultancy firm Eurasia Group.

Speaking to PBS’s Gzero World programme Mitsotakis said that what is at stake today is not the future of the Greek economy but rather the future of the country’s democracy.

Mitsotakis charged that SYRIZA systematically undermines democratic institutions, violates freedom of the press, and meddles in the independent judiciary and independent state authorities.

Asked about Tsipras’ populism, he said that the government’s efforts to interfere in institutions are doomed to failure simply because, as he believes, it will lose the forthcoming general election.

As examples of such interference Mitsotakis cited a Council of State ruling that overturned the government’s law outlining the procedures for a tender for broadcast television licenses. He said that the law was a bid by SYRIZA to control the broadcast television landscape.

The conservative leader said that when populists come to power they are unable to produce results and so they resort to authoritarian behaviour. He drew a connection between the quality of institutions and the country’s level of prosperity and argued that their independence must be bolstered.