New Left chief outlines four fuel-price cuts and demands answer on US ambassador remarks

Gabriel Sakellaris, head of the New Left, used a press briefing in Ioannina to launch a four-point plan intended to slash fuel costs, targeting a gasoline price near €1.50 per litre and heating oil around €1.20. The package calls for reducing the special consumption tax to the lowest level allowed in the EU, cutting VAT on fuels to 6%, imposing a profit-margin ceiling on the entire fuel supply chain, and levying a 90% tax on any excessive refinery earnings.

He dismissed the government’s claim that EU Commission approval is required for the tax cut, arguing that national action is possible. Sakellaris also pressed the government for a formal reply to a US newspaper report alleging that the US ambassador suggested America could intervene in Greece, labeling the story provocative. He linked the issue to long-term US LNG contracts and warned that such deals bind Greece to American interests.

The leader described a deep credibility crisis within the left, urging a reset, clearer political identity, and a moral code, while advocating for dialogue and possible joint electoral action among left-wing parties, though he acknowledged existing ideological gaps. He criticized Alexis Tsipras for past decisions, noted that SYRIZA and PASOK now vie for the second-place slot rather than driving change, and pledged support to residents of Pedini who seek relocation of polluting industrial activities without harming jobs.