One of the leftist-rightist coalition government's most combative and controversial ministers, alternate health minister Pavlos Polakis, again raised eyebrows over the weekend at a ruling SYRIZA central committee meeting, saying the now decidedly poll-trailing party "will win (the next election) if we put some people in jail".
"The judicial process must be accelerated. There is a conscientious effort to delay certain (judicial) processes ... if this situation isn't busted, then we won't acquire real power in this country, " the Crete-based MP, physician and one-time mayor of a rural township on the island told party delegates in Athens.
He also told SYRIZA office-holders and cadres that the party will win the upcoming three elections in 2019 - local government, European Parliament and general elections - if it "redistributes" wealth to the "poor working majority", while avoiding pension cuts and raising the minimum monthly wage, among others.
Ιn a reaction to the statement, main opposition New Democracy (ND) party underlined that a "SYRIZA minister is announcing jailings in order for SYRIZA not to collapse in the next election. In other news, Mr. (PM Alexis) Tsipras is searching for an Orban in ND, while he's tolerating Pavlos Polakis in the role of the prosecutor," a reference to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Several leftist SYRIZA ministers and MPs have recently begun to equate center-right ND with the policies followed by the Hungarian premier, in a bid to rally their own grassroots.