One issue is this long-brewing spying scandal that the prime minister has been at the center of. SIMON: Given all this measurable progress, why are the elections so close?ĮMMANOUILIDOU: Well, even though there has been economic progress, the prime minister's critics say there's also been some backsliding, that there are some issues that threaten the rule of law. And the prime minister says that if he's reelected, there's more economic growth on the way. He's brought in foreign investment, cut corporate taxes, and we've seen unemployment rates dropping, GDP growing and the minimum wage and pensions. Greece's economy, though, has come a long way over the past decade, and the Greek prime minister can take some credit for that. And according to official figures, a good portion of Greeks are at risk of poverty. Many Greeks are not able to keep up with soaring food costs and with energy bills that skyrocketed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Well, inflation and the economy are the top concerns for people in this country, according to polls. How much are economic issues at the center of these elections?ĮMMANOUILIDOU: Yeah. SIMON: Greece, of course, is at the center of the eurozone economic crisis 14 years ago. A second round is preliminarily penciled in for July. This, coupled with new election rules this year, means that there's probably not going to be an outright winner in this round of elections. And then there are some smaller parties on the far right and the far left that have gained some ground. His conservative New Democracy party, though, did see its lead in the polls narrow.Īnd the left-wing opposition party, Syriza, which is headed by the former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, is trailing only a few points behind. People called on the Greek Prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to resign.
But really across the board, there was so much outrage among Greeks who blamed the country's political establishment for the safety failures that led to the accident. It sparked huge protests, as you said, especially among young people. SIMON: How does this train crash become an issue in the election?ĮMMANOUILIDOU: Well, the political backlash after the train crash in late February was massive. LYDIA EMMANOUILIDOU: Thanks for having me, Scott. Reporter Lydia Emmanouilidou joins us now from Athens. Greece votes tomorrow in what's being described as the most unpredictable election in years, three months after the country's deadliest train crash in which 57 people died, many of them students.
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