Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented a four-year economic program for the Hellenic Left Alignment (ELAS) party in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Wednesday evening, costing an estimated 7.39 billion euros. Tsipras described the platform as a national reconstruction plan aimed at achieving economic convergence both with European standards and across different regions within Greece.
The leader of the left-wing opposition party stated that the strategy is grounded in growth, security, and justice, utilizing a framework described internationally as securonomics. He indicated that the program specifically targets undecided voters and the Greek middle class through structural reforms, taxation shifts, and increased public spending.
National Convergence Fund and Investment
Tsipras outlined a major commitment to alter Greece's national growth strategy by establishing a new investment mechanism named the National Convergence Fund. He stated that the fund will operate as the primary investment engine for the country over the next decade, accumulating 12 billion euros in primary capital over a four-year period.
According to the proposal, the funding will be drawn from three specific sources. The national public investment budget will contribute 1.5 billion euros annually, domestic business participation will add 500 million euros each year, and 1 billion euros per year will be redirected from revenues generated by the Golden Visa residence-by-investment program. Tsipras emphasized that the fund will not distribute simple subsidies, but will instead finance mature, publicly controlled projects that yield measurable economic outcomes.
Wealth Redistribution and Tax Reforms
Addressing taxation policy, Tsipras pledged a redistribution of wealth that avoids broad tax hikes while requiring higher contributions from the wealthiest households. He announced the creation of a Patriotic Contribution levied on the top one percent of net wealth holders in Greece. Under this measure, individuals with net wealth in the top tier will pay one euro annually for every 100 euros of net wealth, replacing existing general property burdens.
In addition to the wealth levy, the ELAS leader announced targeted tax relief for families, individual workers, and small businesses. He proposed doubling the child tax allowance, arguing that national demographic challenges require greater financial support for raising children than for purchasing vehicles.
Tsipras further committed to eliminating the annual trade tax for all businesses and abolishing advance tax payments for sole proprietorships. He also proposed reducing tax advance requirements for corporate legal entities. For individuals and guarantors who lost property during the Greek financial crisis, the platform includes a mechanism to restore tax and social security clearance, allowing them to re-enter formal economic activity.
Relocation of Government Ministries
To combat regional inequality, Tsipras proposed a ten-year decentralization initiative to shift central government operations out of the capital region of Attica. He argued that Greece must transition from a model that concentrates population, wealth, and public services in Athens into a polycentric nation.
Under the plan, five government ministries will be relocated to regional cities across Greece. The Ministry of Industry will move to Thessaloniki, the Ministry of Agricultural Development will be transferred to Larissa in central Greece, the Ministry of Tourism will relocate to Heraklion on the island of Crete, the Ministry of Island Policy will move to the Aegean island of Lesbos, and the Ministry of Digital Policy will be based in the northern city of Kozani.
Several notable political figures and civic representatives attended the presentation in Thessaloniki. Among those present were former SYRIZA lawmaker Katerina Notopoulou, the president of the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants (GSEVEE) Giorgos Kavvathas, Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis, ELAS spokesperson Theoni Koufonikolakou, former justice minister Michalis Kalogirou, and former PASOK official Antonis Saolidis.
Wages and Support for Students
The economic platform establishes specific targets for national wage growth over the next parliamentary term. Tsipras committed to raising the statutory monthly minimum wage to 1,000 euros during 2027, with a target average full-time monthly wage of 1,800 euros by the end of four years. He stated that minimum wage adjustments would be reinforced through sector-wide collective bargaining agreements and productivity-linked raises.
Public sector workers would also receive direct salary increases under the proposal. Monthly earnings for public school teachers would rise initially by 300 euros, while doctors and nurses in the National Health System (ESY) would receive an average monthly pay raise of 500 euros.
For higher education, Tsipras announced plans to abolish the National Examinations system used for university entry. He also introduced a student support scheme providing a monthly stipend of 500 euros for ten months per year to approximately 80,000 university students studying at regional campuses away from their home towns, alongside free access to urban public transportation.
Price Gouging and Cost of Living Measures
To tackle rising consumer prices, the ELAS plan introduces emergency market controls and welfare expansions. Tsipras proposed lowering the Value Added Tax (VAT) to six percent on essential food items and personal hygiene products. The party also plans to launch a digital price observatory tracking individual product codes across retail markets.
The proposal includes removing prescription drug co-payments for all retirees and creating a National Care System dedicated to elderly citizens and individuals with disabilities.
Energy Policy and Climate Targets
On energy and environmental policy, Tsipras committed to reducing household electricity bills by an average of 30 percent. He pledged that no household unable to pay will suffer power disconnections, guaranteeing a minimum allocation of basic energy at fixed, affordable rates.
To enforce this, ELAS plans to restore public strategic control over the Public Power Corporation (DEI). Under the proposal, DEI will serve as a guarantor for base energy tariffs, a strategic purchaser of domestic clean energy, and a leading investor in grid infrastructure and energy storage.
The environmental program sets statutory emission reduction targets of 55 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040, aiming for full climate neutrality by 2050, accompanied by annual parliamentary reviews. The platform also calls for developing domestic green technology supply chains, including local assembly lines for solar panels and energy storage systems, and completing electrical grid interconnections to Aegean islands to eliminate island oil generation.
To combat wildfires and forest degradation, the plan unifies forest protection services under a single authority with dedicated funding, while converting 2,300 seasonal firefighter positions from eight-month contracts to permanent twelve-month employment. It also establishes a unified management plan for every river watershed in Greece.
Housing Crisis and Affordable Homes
Addressing Greece's acute housing shortage, Tsipras detailed a plan to construct 50,000 new affordable housing units within four years through a newly established Socially Affordable Housing Organization. The agency will manage public and municipal land, bring vacant properties back into the rental market, and build new residential units.
Under the policy, municipalities will gain legal authority to restrict short-term holiday rentals in areas where local residents are being priced out. Furthermore, the government would provide public renovation grants to owners of vacant homes on the condition that the properties are offered at capped, affordable rents for fixed terms.
Political Criticism and Foreign Policy
During his speech, Tsipras launched a sharp critique against the governing New Democracy party and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, stating that seven years in office with a single-party majority and European recovery funds represented a lost opportunity for Greece. He pointed out that 97 percent of citizens surveyed believe corruption remains widespread, asserting that living conditions are harder today than in 2019 despite the end of international bailout programs.
Regarding international affairs, Tsipras warned of growing global instability and noted that Turkish provocations in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean have escalated concerningly. He stressed that Greece must strengthen its defense capabilities while safeguarding sovereign rights, regional peace, and stability.
Tsipras concluded by framing the upcoming national election around the choice between corruption and honesty, summarizing his party's vision as producing more, sharing wealth more fairly, and improving living standards for the population.
