Androulakis: ND and Mitsotakis 'capable of cooperating with the dark if this serves their goals'

"We came up against this recently in the central political scene, with [Mitsotakis'] agreement with [Elliniki Lysi leader Kyriakos Velopoulos] in order to topple the independent authorities but also in local government, where in his fervour to ensure that those who will serve as the 'long arm' of Maximou prevail throughout Greece, he did not hesitate to support Achilleas Beos in Volos, who in turn supports New Democracy's selection for the Thessaly region, Kostas Agorastos," Androulakis said.

Androulakis also strongly criticised Rural Development and Foods Minister Lefteris Avgenakis for "blackmailing, just hours before the second round, the deeply stricken people of Thessaly, linking the speed with which compensation is paid with the results of the election on Sunday. "It is not enough that their incompetence led to tragic consequences in Thessaly, they are blackmailing them as well," he added.

PASOK-KINAL's leader rejected the prime minister's disparaging description of Athens mayoral candidate Haris Doukas, pointing out the latter's credentials as a recognised academic specialising in sustainable cities, while pointing to the failures of the current mayor, Kostas Bakoyannis.

He also strongly rejected the premier's call for local government authorities to belong to the same political family as the government, noting that this model had been proven to be ineffective and to lead to a lack of meritocracy and transparency.