The launch of Maria Karystianos’ “Hope for Democracy” party from Thessaloniki and its clear targeting of a more conservative audience completes the puzzle of parties operating to the right of New Democracy and which have their political and electoral base in Macedonia.
New Democracy remains the leading party in all polls, however it is evident that parties operating to its right typically achieve their highest percentages in Macedonia’s electoral constituencies, also leveraging the local origins of their political leaders (Kyriakos Velopoulos, Dimitris Natsios, Afroditi Latinopoulou, and now Maria Karystianos).
For example, in the European elections in Thessaloniki A constituency, New Democracy fell below 25% (24.33% specifically), while all parties to its right cumulatively reached 23%. In the May 2023 national elections, in Pieria for instance, Niki achieved its highest “score” with 7.5%, while cumulatively the parties “to the right” of New Democracy – Niki and Greek Solution – won 15% of votes in the same electoral constituency. Further north, in Pella, Greek Solution ranked fourth with 7% and Niki fifth with 6%.
New Democracy’s bet in Macedonia: Mitsotakis’ strategy against Karystianos, Velopoulos and “Niki”
Neither the choice of Thessaloniki for the ruling party’s latest pre-congress nor the prime minister’s phrase in his speech there was coincidental, when he spoke of “the city that symbolizes our homeland’s strength to resist in difficult times and advance with greater momentum” and emphasized that “today marks the beginning of our new effort for a strong Greece in 2030”.
For the Maximos Mansion and Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally, Thessaloniki and Macedonia more broadly constitute a major challenge for the next elections. The emphasis will be given mainly to projects being implemented, with the prime minister noting at the pre-congress that “especially here in the north, you know well friends, there was an abundance of words and cost-free promises.” In yesterday’s customary Facebook post, Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the “two upgraded Emergency Departments in hospitals outside the Athens basin, at ‘G. Gennimatas’ in Thessaloniki and at Naoussa General Hospital,” as well as “the solution we provided to a problem that tormented thousands of active farmers, mainly in Thessaly and Macedonia, but also other regions,” as he noted referring to specific types of producer support. As for Mrs. Karystianos’ new party, the first warning shot came from government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, who stated that “the country has suffered and paid enough from the upper and lower square,” arguing that “representatives of no part of the square solved any citizen problems.”
Beyond the metro that will be delivered to Kalamaria within the next two months, the government has set as a goal for the city to have by mid-2027 a completed Eastern Inner Ring Road (flyover), new Oncology Hospital, new Children’s Hospital, new courthouse, and 17 new schools. Recently, the suburban railway was connected to Sindos, with a train that serves the needs of the International University as well as the industrial area.
Thus, with specific projects and tangible results, the government wishes to improve the city’s infrastructure while simultaneously regaining a strong political majority in the next national elections. After the Metro extension to Kalamaria with five new stations, studies will begin and the search for appropriate national and European funding tools for extending the metro to western and northwestern Thessaloniki, without however cultivating high expectations, as the maturation of studies, tender announcement, and project execution will require several years in total to complete.
The public health map in Thessaloniki will change with the addition of two major hospitals. The University Children’s Hospital of Thessaloniki Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is expected to be completed in early 2027. As the first exclusively pediatric hospital outside Athens, it will provide secondary medical services for the greater Thessaloniki area and tertiary pediatric care for all of Northern Greece. In early 2028, the new Anticancer Hospital of Thessaloniki “Theagenio” will be delivered, with a capacity of 425 beds. Regarding public education, Mr. Mitsotakis’ commitment was that the 17 new schools being constructed through public-private partnership will be delivered on time to operate with the start of the new school year.
At the level of strengthening candidate lists, in Thessaloniki A the certain new additions are former General Secretary of Public Property Athanasios Tsiourras and the coordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki, Yannis Papageorgiou. The names of Education Deputy Minister (and former AUTH rector) Nikos Papaioannou and Maria-Nefeli Chatziioannidou, who was elected in 2023 on the State ticket, are also strongly heard, while the candidacy of Agriculture Minister and former Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas is always on the table.
