“Greece has derailed and remains there,” declared Maria Karystianou in her interview with Politico, drawing parallels between the Tempe train disaster and Greek politics. “I cannot bear to live in such a society and I cannot imagine how we will continue to live with such a corrupt political system. This is an urgent need of society that cannot be met by the existing political system,” added Mrs. Karystianou, with Politico commenting that many would like to see her run for office, estimating that an “outsider” would be the most suitable person to shake up a country that has been rocked by a series of scandals and where trust in politicians has collapsed.
Read: The Karystianou party in the works and the announcement expected on the eve of elections
She, however, refused to confirm or deny the related rumors. “I want to see something new, just like a large part of society. I also belong to that 25%,” she said.
Politico reminds that in March 2024, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government survived a vote of no confidence, but the handling of the aftermath has only intensified scrutiny, with Athens rejecting the European prosecutor’s call to take action regarding the potential criminal liability of two former transport ministers as the government used a provision of the Greek constitution that provides immunity to ministers.
“I am ashamed that a European prosecutor would come and say that our Constitution protects ministers from accountability. This constitutional provision is abused by politicians even in cases of felonies, like Tempe,” commented Mrs. Karystianou.
The article also refers to the hunger strike of Panos Routsis, whose son Denis was also killed in the Tempe accident. “The systematic and detailed efforts of the victims’ relatives to find evidence of administrative incompetence in the government’s response to the accident have strengthened popular opposition to the ruling party,” said Ioannis Konstantinidis, associate professor in the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Macedonia. “The victims’ relatives – already having the moral advantage – also gained political advantage over a government that was considered inadequate at best.”
However, he added, moral support does not automatically translate into electoral support: “Their political opponents can attack them with arguments that concern not morality but rather their inexperience or ability to govern. Their moral and symbolic capital would then be insufficient.”
“Tempe is an open wound”
“It is an open wound, as it is a crime committed by the state,” said Kostas Elefteriou, assistant professor at Democritus University of Thrace and policy analysis coordinator at the Institute for Alternative Policies ENA, an Athens think tank. “A railway that never operated according to required specifications, ministry leadership that assured it was safe, and then the conditions for justice are not met.” “Given that both the ruling and opposition parties are unable to address the problem, we are currently at an impasse,” he adds.
Politico also referenced what Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on “Parapolitika 90.1” station. “None of us can respond to what Karystianou says. I respect her as a mother who lost her child. But if she becomes our political opponent tomorrow, she won’t have the same immunity and treatment. She will be our political opponent,” he had declared.
Another problem, according to Lamprini Rori, assistant professor of political science at the University of Athens, is that new parties find it extremely difficult to survive, even if they manage to survive for a few electoral contests. “The intense discussion around the possibility of a new party headed by Karystianou highlights the need for opposition representation and a potential political opportunity for a newcomer to the political scene. However, it is more likely that such a party would be stillborn – yet another flash party.”
“The massive lack of trust in both the government and opposition parties has created a social need for ‘unconventional’ politics,” notes Elefteriou.
Finally, the article comments that despite New Democracy’s decline in polls, which suggests it could not form a majority government if elections were held today, no serious challenger to Mr. Mitsotakis has emerged. However, it refers to speculation that former prime minister Alexis Tsipras is planning to form a new party, while another new party that might emerge is from the right side of the political spectrum, specifically from former prime minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras.
