Former prime minister and head of the Radical Left Coalition, Alexis Tsipras, and right-wing Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos responded to journalists’ questions in the debate featured on public broadcaster ERT. Both expressed their “guilt” after not meeting the commitments they had made prior to elections:

a) Single Property Tax (ENFIA): The third bailout agreement for Greece means that ENFIA will continue. Rather than justify its continuation, Tsipras said that it is an “absurd tax” whereas he justified past statements urging people not to pay the “haratsi” land tax as an act of resistance against extortion. Journalist Antonis Schroeder had reminded him tht he had said that he would not pay it himself. “The property was not in my possession,” whispered Tsipras. Kammenos on his part said that “our greatest failure was not abolishing ENFIA.”

b) Negotiation of former FinMin Yanis Varoufakis: Tsipras said that a huge battle was given as the previous SYRIZA-ANEL coalition went “against gods and demons” but he said that there were “asymmetrical forces” at play. He noted that there had been exaggerations (meaning Varoufakis) that were corrected (meaning Varoufakis’ replacement with former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos who rushed through a deal with foreign lenders).