Greece: Mitsotakis rules out early elections
The country needs political stability ahead of a difficult winter, the prime minister told Skai radio. He also ruled out a cabinet reshuffle.
Archive image · Photo: Grunpfnul / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has ruled out early parliamentary elections. In an interview with Skai radio quoted by the Greek City Times, he said Greece needed political stability ahead of a difficult winter. He said he wanted to complete the government's full four-year term and let voters judge its record then. Ministers should keep delivering on their commitments rather than slow down as the election approaches. Asked about a cabinet reshuffle, he replied with one word: "No."
Mitsotakis also spoke about the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying it had confirmed the "excellent framework" of Greek-American relations. Rubio visited as part of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue; Mitsotakis noted that the U.S. secretary of state rarely travels abroad for such talks. In the interview, the prime minister also addressed the F-35 programme, relations with Turkey and Israel, the Greece–Cyprus power cable and gas exploration in the Ionian Sea, where the first exploratory drilling is expected in the first half of 2027.
The government in Athens is under pressure over high energy prices. In early October, Mitsotakis announced an increase in the diesel subsidy from 10 to 15 cents per litre for 15 days, while heating oil prices are to be kept below €1.75 per litre. In a letter to the presidents of the European Commission and the Eurogroup, Greece proposed allowing member states to use extra VAT revenue from high energy prices for targeted support.