At least two ministers of conservative New Democracy havve blackmailed farmers in flooded Thessaly and citizens in Halandri suburb of northern Athens to vote in favor of the ruling party.
Socialist PASOK on Thursday accused Minister of Rural Development, Lefteris Avgenakis, of blackmailing farmers in central Greece whose livelihoods were destroyed in two major storms last month into voting for the regional governor supported by the ruling Conservatives in order to receive their compensations in time.
Avgenakis has reportedly told locals that “the result of the ballot box [in next Sunday’s runoff] is inextricably linked to the speed and the observance of the timetables which we announced.”
“Mr. Avgenakis is blackmailing farmers, breeders and producers that, if they do not vote for [PM Kyriakos] Mitsotakis’ chosen one, Kostas Agorastos, he will not give or delay the payment of compensations? Isn’t he ashamed? Is this how we reach out to people who have been destroyed? Who don’t know when they will be able to start production again? Who cannot make ends meet? The only thing that interests Mr. Agorastos, Mr. Avgenakis and Mr. Mitsotakis is how they will win the districts again,” PASOK secretary Andreas Spyropoulos said in a television appearance on ANT1.
In the first round of regional vote on 8 October, Agorastos came first with 41.37% but the result was not enough to secure him an outright win. On runoff on October 15, he will face independent candidate Dimitris Kouretas (supported by opposition parties SYRIZA and PASOK) who secured 34.11%.
On his part Labor Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, blackmailed the voters of Halandri warning them that if the left-wing mayor Simos Roussos wins the second round and not the ND favorite “the Municipality will not be able to receive EU funds for the next 5 years” for construction and other works in the municipality.
Δεν είναι δυνατόν ο Δήμος Χαλανδρίου να κυβερνάται από την Ανταρσύα δια του κ. Ρούσσου. Όχι για λόγους ιδεολογικούς μόνον αλλά καθαρά για το καλό του Δήμου. Ο Δήμος αυτός θα χάσει όλες τις ευκαιρίες του νέου ΕΣΠΑ και του Ταμείου Ανάκαμψης εάν για τα επόμενα 5 χρόνια μείνει με… pic.twitter.com/myttXV7DYY
— Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης (@AdonisGeorgiadi) October 11, 2023
It is apparently not only ministers who promise money (not their own or the party’s) to voters. A local member of the municipality of Patras told voters “We have the government, we have the region, if we’ll have also the Municipality, money will flow…”
Παναγιώτης Ζαφειρόπουλος στέλεχος ΝΔ Αχαίας,δημοτικός σύμβουλος δήμου Πατρέων κ πρώην διοικητής τ Νοσοκομείου Ζακύνθου.
“Βάλτε πλάτη να πάρει η ΝΔ τ δήμο τ Πάτρας.Έχουμε κυβέρνηση,έχουμε Περιφέρεια,αν πάρουμε κ το δήμο,όλο τ χρήμα θα έρθει κάτω”
“Τώρα γιατί δεν έρχεται;” 1/2👇 pic.twitter.com/Sg3RTLHIl9
— Moonchild (@takemhand2night) October 12, 2023
Note that Patras has a communist mayor.
According to KTG information, there are not a few ND members that are sweeping municipalities in runoff promising jobs in ministries, if locals vote for the party favorite.
*thumbnail picture doesn’t show flooded Thessaly but the low the conservative right-wing New Democracy has reached.