The prime minister’s traditional keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair in early September is widely expected to deliver tangible handouts to at least some voters. Speculation about the size of the ‘package’ is rife in the media. With an election coming up, either late this year or early in 2027, this year's speech will be even more closely followed. [AMNA]
Pundits agree that, by the time Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis makes the trip north to deliver the keynote address at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on September 5, he will have made up his mind on the timing of the next national election.
Speculation about the timing of the election – whether it will take place in autumn 2026 or early 2027 – is rife. In any case, this year’s TIF speech will be Mitsotakis’ last in his second term. And it is no secret that the delivered speech will target the electorate even more than usual.
The TIF keynote speech is awaited as an announcement of the direction of government economic policy for the coming year. Even more so, though, what both the media and the public are looking forward to is the size of the handouts to be announced, either in direct state aid or tax cuts. Talk about the size of the so-called “package” already looms large and will increasingly dominate public discussion in the runup to the speech.
