With the main goal of bringing back disgruntled voters who distanced themselves from New Democracy after the European elections, and just 24 hours after his speech to the Political Committee, Kyriakos Mitsotakis once again responded to criticism he receives mainly from Antonis Samaras regarding his handling of national issues. In an interview on ANT1’s “Face to Face” program with Nikos Chatzinikolaou, the Prime Minister addressed the possibility of Samaras forming a new party, sending a clear message in multiple directions with the phrase: “I cannot imagine he would do something that would harm the party that gave him a second chance and made him Prime Minister.” The message was directed not only at New Democracy supporters and Samaras himself, but also at Kostas Karamanlis, who in recent months appears to be coordinating with the Messenian politician.
At the same time, he reiterated that elections will be held in spring 2027 and emphasized the central narrative of achieving a single-party majority from the first Sunday to prevent the country from entering turbulent times, stressing that “then it will be judged whether Greece will be on the side of winners or losers.” “I have the experience, willingness and knowledge to lead an effort for the country to make another big leap and ensure we don’t go backwards again,” said Mitsotakis, who then made news by saying: “If the Greek people trust me to serve a third term, there will not be a fourth.”
Mitsotakis chose to be careful in his statements regarding Antonis Samaras and Kostas Karamanlis, initially acknowledging that Samaras was a good Prime Minister, emphasizing that he “moved the country forward in a very difficult period” and reminding that he himself had served in his government as a minister.
However, he defended the decision to expel the former Prime Minister, saying “no expulsion is wrong.” When asked about the public criticism from the two former Prime Ministers, he characterized it as “unfair,” emphasizing that the government has undertaken a series of initiatives that had not progressed for decades. “Karamanlis and Samaras have met with Erdogan, they know the complexity of relations with Turkey. I am the only Greek Prime Minister who went to Ankara and raised the issue of casus belli. I don’t remember any other former Prime Minister raising it, and it has existed since 1995,” he stressed, later referring to Greece’s geopolitical presence in the broader Southeast Mediterranean and Middle East region.
Specifically regarding his relations with Kostas Karamanlis and whether he believes Karamanlis is aligning with Antonis Samaras at this stage, the Prime Minister largely avoided taking a direct position, generally expressing his respect for all who have served as New Democracy presidents. “When I speak at the party’s Political Committee, on the opposite wall are photographs of all New Democracy leaders. I treat them all with respect and dignity, because I believe they deserve it. This doesn’t mean we must agree on everything – we don’t agree on everything – but the relationship must be dignified and functional.”
Mitsotakis takes aim at Tsipras and Karystianou
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was particularly sharp and quite cutting, even ironic, toward Alexis Tsipras, while also commenting on Maria Karystianou’s political presence. After discussing developments in the Left, successive internal upheavals in SYRIZA and the creation of ELAS party, the Prime Minister made a somewhat mocking reference to Alexis Tsipras’s multiple electoral defeats from 2019 to 2023: “If your license is taken away three times, can you drive another car? The Greeks took away Alexis Tsipras’s license three times and now he’s making a new party, wants to drive a new car, but he’s the same person.” Meanwhile, he launched a fierce attack on SYRIZA’s governance period, citing Sky’s documentary “By a Hair’s Breadth” about 2015. “I watched the documentary and I shuddered, just as thousands of Greeks shuddered. I saw a mixture of incompetence, bias and arrogance that nearly led the country off a cliff,” he said.
At another point, he commented on Maria Karystianou, estimating that she has strong social support due to her personal tragedy, but questioning her political adequacy. “She had a large emotional reservoir of sympathy. Whether this translates into political support is debatable,” he said, adding that so far “she has not convinced that she can stand adequately as a political leader.”
Regarding interventions planned ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair, Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized that the first priority for the new term is increasing income for the many, but made it clear that the government is not considering restoring the 13th and 14th salaries in the public sector. “We are developing the framework for the TIF intervention. It is not our intention to give 13th and 14th salaries in the public sector,” the Prime Minister stated, explaining that part of the strengthening of public employees has already been implemented through increases given in previous years, noting that “one salary has already been given through the increases we have made.”
