With a clear political goal of achieving the polling momentum that would place New Democracy (ND) in a position to win an outright parliamentary majority, the Prime Minister’s office is attempting to transform the OPEKEPE crisis from a political liability into a central pre-election narrative — putting front and center a head-on confrontation with the chronic dysfunctions of public administration and the so-called “deep state.”
How the government is trying to turn the OPEKEPE crisis into a political advantage
With the electoral horizon drawing closer, the government — following the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) decision — is attempting to reclaim its reformist momentum, presenting New Democracy as the only political force with both the will and the capacity to fundamentally restructure the state during a potential third term in office.
Mitsotakis’ regional tours and the plan to rally voters
This is the axis along which the upcoming regional tours of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and government officials — across the regions and the Athens basin — will be organized, at a time when New Democracy is seeking to re-consolidate those voter pools that delivered two consecutive outright majorities. The message being sent to voters is clear: the great wager for the Prime Minister’s office is a new, broad social coalition stretching from the right wing of the conservative camp all the way to segments of the center-left and unaffiliated left-wing voters, with the central question being one of governability. That is — which political formation, in today’s deeply fragmented political landscape, amid a profound crisis of political representation and with PASOK unable to resurrect the classic two-party system of the post-junta era, can ultimately govern the country.
“Deep state” and reforms: The government’s new pre-election narrative
This assessment is driven by the reading inside the Prime Minister’s strategic offices that the rhetoric around confronting the “deep state” and entrenched special interests resonates with broad majority currents in society, cutting across partisan boundaries. The restructuring of the state apparatus has, after all, been one of the few issues — dating back to Kostas Karamanlis’ election on the slogan of “re-founding the state” — capable of appealing to both center-right and center-left voters alike, effectively setting a cross-party agenda as the defining stake of a potential third ND government under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Speaking on public broadcaster ERT, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis outlined this vision for the months leading up to the next general election, drawing comparisons to the previous two national votes.
“Behind the Prime Minister’s efforts and policy proposals, a broader social alliance was forged — in both 2019 and 2023 — compared to 2016. A social alliance that clearly wanted to leave behind what had happened in the previous period, while at the same time moving forward in the areas of the economy and in all of what we call social policies — which some parties and political camps had, until now, considered their exclusive domain. But it became clear that this was not the case, as we built a broader political coalition,” said Mr. Kontogeorgis, presenting the reforms not as a purely partisan agenda but as a matter of national necessity. He added: “Our policies are addressed to all citizens, and I believe they are broad enough to embrace everyone.”
The government escalates its rhetoric over the OPEKEPE affair
At the same time, the government continues to highlight the long-standing dimensions of the OPEKEPE scandal and to sustain the high-intensity confrontation with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, repeatedly leveling accusations of mismanagement of interventions that have impacted the domestic political landscape in ways that exceed her institutional mandate.
“On matters that create impressions and can influence public life, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office must exercise caution. No one is asking for any illegality to be covered up. But equally, investigators must be aware of what they are doing and the consequences of their actions — which concern not only personal dignity and family, but also the political life of the country. This issue has a European dimension that goes beyond Greece and concerns other EU member states as well,” said Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis (One), while simultaneously sending the message that the subsidies scandal is cross-party in nature. “Only New Democracy has assumed political responsibility. PASOK and SYRIZA pretend that everything was perfect on their watch. And at the same time, only New Democracy voted for the reform of the subsidies system.”
Published in Apogevmatini
