The attacks against Maria Karystianou and Maria Gratsia show no signs of letting up, as 22 former members of Hope for Democracy have issued a joint statement responding to the accusations leveled at them by the party’s leadership duo following the wave of resignations recorded in recent days. Among those who signed the statement are Thanasis Avgerinos, Katerina Moutsatsou, and Vasilis Kokotsakis.
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All signatories categorically reject allegations of personal ambition or lack of resilience, describing their departure as a deliberate stand on principles and values. In their lengthy statement, the departing members accuse the two Marias of concentrating decision-making within a closed inner circle, devoid of institutional legitimacy or democratic accountability. They argue that instead of collective processes, transparency, and proper organizational structure, the movement became dominated by machine politics, behind-the-scenes rivalries, and courtly factions — a reality that stands in stark contradiction to the founding values of the entire endeavor. They also emphasize that criticism, dissent, and resignation do not constitute betrayal or sabotage, noting that their decision to leave proves they were not willing to remain in the movement simply to hold onto positions and titles.
They further stress that most of them already had established professional, political, and public careers of their own, and therefore had no need of this particular venture to gain recognition. “We will not allow our departures to be portrayed as the result of personal ambitions, personal agendas, lack of resilience, or worse still, as a reflection of ‘character.’ We know very well why we joined this endeavor. And we know equally well why we left. We did not leave because we were denied seats. We did not leave because we were not given titles. We did not leave because we ‘couldn’t take it.’ We left precisely because we refused to compromise with practices we considered incompatible with the principles upon which this endeavor was founded,” they state.
The statement is signed by: Thanasis Avgerinos, Vasilis Kokotsakis, Nikos Zarkadoulas, Angeliki Lenakaki, Athanasios Tzouganatos, Takis Kotsiorgio, Achilleas Rombogianakis, Ilias Michalas, Katerina Sotirakoy, Konstantinos Vamvakas, Manolis Sofoulis, Stavros Stavroulakis, Yannis Fronimakis, Katerina Moutsatsou, Jason Bageris, Ioannis Lainas, Panagiota Kapou, Yiannis Grigorios, Iro Vourdoumba, Panagiotis Pantelakis, Dimitris Klothakis, Maria Paizaki.
