In a sharp political rebuttal, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis launched a fierce critique of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his new party, the Greek Left Coalition (ELAS), following Tsipras’s interview on Alpha TV on 25 June 2026. Marinakis accused Tsipras of once again attempting to present himself as a paragon of ‘integrity’, despite the controversial legacy of his administration.
Targeting Tsipras’s Political Record
Marinakis directly linked Tsipras’s public appearance — in his capacity as both former prime minister and ELAS leader — to what he described as a troubled past: the convictions of two ministers under Tsipras’s government, the so-called ‘shadow Ministry of Justice’, and criminal code reforms passed shortly before the handover of power.
According to Marinakis, Tsipras ‘once again felt the need to self-promote as a model of integrity’. He reminded viewers that Tsipras led the government during which two ministers received final convictions, and a period marked by institutional interventions and ‘mass releases of serious offenders’.
Questioning Fiscal Claims
The spokesperson responded with irony to Tsipras’s reference to €6 billion in available funds for distribution: ‘Today we learned there are €6 billion available,’ Marinakis remarked, contrasting this claim with the current government’s fiscal policies — including a €1.76 billion tax reform, income tax reductions, full exemption for young earners, and targeted relief for large families.
Three Direct Questions to Tsipras
The government has now posed three direct questions to Tsipras: Does he propose rolling back existing measures? Does he intend to disregard EU fiscal rules? Or — as Marinakis put it — is he seeking to ‘lead the country back into the turbulence of the past’?
‘No matter how much he believes the second time will be different, or that he can bask in praise while staying hidden, he owes the public — at least once — clear answers,’ Marinakis concluded, significantly escalating the public confrontation with Tsipras and ELAS.