The government is unfolding an agenda that appeals more emphatically to the conservative political audience and the so-called patriotic space, with an eye on current developments in the Middle East, but also considering the ballot boxes of the national elections, approximately 14 months from today.
Polling numbers for parties to the right of New Democracy
In recent polls, published before the war in the Middle East erupted, parties moving to the right of New Democracy appear to collectively gather consistently high double-digit percentages in voting estimates. Specifically, in the Metron Analysis poll, Greek Solution gets 10.9%, Voice of Reason 4.2%, “Victory” 1.9% and “Spartans” 0.5%, totaling 17.5%. In Marc’s measurement, the percentages are 8.1% for Greek Solution, 3.2% for Voice of Reason, 1.5% for “Victory” and 1% for “Spartans”, totaling 13.8%, while they collectively reached 15.4% in the corresponding percentages in GPO’s poll a few days earlier.
Based on her statements, Maria Karystianou also appears to be claiming part of this electoral pie with her party under formation, while Antonis Samaras’ final intentions for the party he’s considering creating remain unknown.
Two moves and one development that broaden the government’s appeal
Two moves made recently, plus one in progress, reportedly give points to the ruling party in these specific audiences and broaden its appeal. The first move was the immediate and practical support of Cyprus after the threat it received with a drone launched from an unknown point and directed at the British base in Akrotiri. Greece deployed two frigates, “Kimon” and “Psara”, and four F-16 Viper aircraft, with Greek military support being announced and arriving even earlier than French and British support, while Defense Minister Nikos Dendias traveled to Nicosia with Chief of General Staff Dimitris Choupis. “Greece is present with responsibility and strength wherever national duty calls and puts its upgraded Armed Forces at the service of global Hellenism,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated in his parliamentary speech.
Meanwhile, there were warm words from Cyprus’ political world for Greece’s solidarity move and bitter comments from British media toward their own political leadership for not showing the reflexes our country did.
The deployment of a Patriot battery to the Dodecanese, specifically to Karpathos, has, beyond its obvious operational value, additional symbolic value, something evident from Turkey’s official reaction, which showed its displeasure with this move through a Foreign Ministry announcement, with the Greek government responding through the Foreign Ministry that “Greece’s defensive arrangement is non-negotiable”.
In recent polls, published before the war in the Middle East erupted, parties moving to the right of New Democracy appear to collectively gather consistently high double-digit percentages
Mitsotakis’ attack on the “lentil patriots”
In the same parliamentary statement, the Prime Minister even addressed -without naming them- Kyriakos Velopoulos, Dimitris Natsios and Afroditi Latinopoulou, speaking of “various voices from parties and officials located to the right of New Democracy” and noting “embarrassment and relative silence about this initiative of the Greek government,” referring to the assistance to Cyprus.
“You know, I once characterized all of them as ‘lentil patriots’. I was probably being offensive to lentils when I used that term,” he added in a sarcastic tone. The second move was the approach to the Greek diaspora, which among other things has political reflection in the audiences we mentioned earlier. With the passage of the Interior Ministry’s bill in Parliament, exercising voting rights for overseas Greeks is greatly facilitated, as they can now exercise it from home by mail. Meanwhile, the opposition parties’ rejection of the provision that would allow diaspora Greeks to vote with preference votes gives an additional “weapon” to the government’s arguments about who “counts” overseas Greeks more.
Mitsotakis’ trip to Australia and diaspora outreach
Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to be close to the Australian diaspora in a few days, where he will travel for the March 25th celebration. This is the second time he celebrates the national anniversary with the diaspora, after Canada in 2024. Specifically, the Prime Minister will travel sequentially to Melbourne, Sydney, which is Australia’s most populous city, and Canberra, the country’s capital.
Plans for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete and the Peloponnese
The third move concerns exploiting potential hydrocarbon deposits hidden beneath the seabed of Greek waters. This week, Parliament will discuss contracts with the Chevron-HELLENiQ ENERGY consortium, concerning exclusive exploration and exploitation rights for hydrocarbons in marine areas south of the Peloponnese and Crete, while procedures are underway for ExxonMobil to proceed with the first exploratory drilling in almost half a century in our country, in early 2027. Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to position himself again there and highlight the national importance of the energy policy the government is following.
Published in Parapolitika
