Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has vowed to resist pre-election spending and maintain strict fiscal discipline, telling voters in Rhodes that relief measures would be funded only from budget surpluses — not new debt — as he opened what amounts to the final stretch of his government's term.
Speaking at a central cafe in Rhodes during a tour of the Dodecanese, Mr. Mitsotakis acknowledged that global inflation has eroded recent domestic wage gains but drew a sharp line between responsible relief and populist handouts.
"We are entering the final year of our governing term and the countdown to the elections has begun," he said, taking aim at his rivals with a characteristically dry aside:
"We are experienced marathon runners. I see that some others are already out of breath, but that is their problem."
On defense, Mr. Mitsotakis said sustaining strong military capability remains a strategic necessity, asserting that Greece's armed forces are the most combat-ready in modern history and fully prepared to respond to any violation of Greek sovereignty — a pointed message given ongoing tensions with Turkey in the Aegean.
He paired the fiscal warnings with concrete regional commitments.
The government will build a new public hospital on the island of Kos at a cost of 45 million euros, and launch a major modernization of the port of Rhodes — two pledges designed to demonstrate delivery in a region that has long complained of infrastructure neglect.
With elections due in spring 2027, Mr. Mitsotakis is clearly framing his closing campaign around economic credibility over largesse.