The Secretary of the Political Committee of New Democracy, Konstantinos Kyranakis, sent a clear message of unity and solidarity during his visit to Thessaloniki. Referring to the 2027 elections, he stressed that the central idea uniting the country is its strength and its prospects. He noted that the goal is to make Greece even stronger — economically, militarily, and geopolitically — keeping this vision as a shared point of reference. In this context, together with the party’s Secretary General, Yannis Smyrlis, he held a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Interior for Macedonia and Thrace, Kostas Gkioulekis, at the regional administration headquarters.
Read also: Kyranakis: “If Samaras forms a party, he will hurt the ND voter who supported him and made him Prime Minister” (Video)
Kyranakis: The road to 2027 is a final and crucial sprint
Kyranakis explained that the mandate he has received from the Prime Minister focuses on unity, solidarity, and optimism — optimism rooted in the government’s work and the country’s achievements. Using a vivid analogy, he compared the pre-election campaign leading to 2027 to a final and decisive sprint, one that demands a steady pace and unwavering commitment all the way to the finish line. He also emphasized that the trust of citizens in northern Greece can only be won if hope becomes tangible once again, and that the message to society must be clear and powerful: a Greece set to play a decisive role by 2030. Closing his remarks, he made special reference to Thessaloniki, describing it as a protagonist in a “transport revolution.” He highlighted the significant progress on ongoing infrastructure projects, such as the metro system, which are expected to transform daily life in the city.
Kyranakis: ND’s political opponent is Tsipras’s party — and what he said about PASOK
When asked by a journalist who New Democracy’s main political opponent is, he replied: “Mr. Tsipras’s party.” He then went on the offensive against the former Prime Minister, stating: “The political landscape has changed. Our opponent is now Mr. Tsipras’s party — the party that calls itself ‘EL.AS.’ And ‘ELAS’ evokes dark pages of Greek history. It refers to the Civil War, to chapters that many generations fought to leave behind, generations that struggled to achieve national reconciliation. I think this branding choice by Mr. Tsipras is truly inexplicable, because it points toward a deeply divisive pre-election period that has already begun.” He added: “Our opponent is the Left — and the ideas of the Left have been definitively defeated by Greek society.” When asked why he had not mentioned PASOK, he replied: “I didn’t mention them because the Greek people are saying less and less about PASOK. The party is beginning to lose its identity and is shrinking politically. There are internal dilemmas they need to face — it’s not my place to comment on them. Our goal is to be absolutely credible and consistent in our own promises, and to inspire hope for the future ahead of the 2027 elections.”
Kyranakis on the possibility of Samaras forming a new party
When asked about the prospect of former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras launching a new political party, Kyranakis responded: “Antonis Samaras was a good Prime Minister for the country and for the political camp. He took the reins of Greece during an extremely difficult period, when our country was on the brink of collapse, and he saved it. That does not change — despite the unfair criticism that Antonis Samaras has been directing at us in recent months, which, understandably, saddens all of us.” He stressed that it is the ordinary New Democracy supporter who would be hurt if Mr. Samaras were to form a party. He reminded everyone that “the ordinary ND supporter stayed at home, stayed within the political camp, when Antonis Samaras governed — and that is what we want them to do now: to remain within the camp.”
“We want to inspire credibility in young people once again”
“We are opening our electoral lists to young people. We want to inspire credibility in young people once again. We are moving forward with our plan, our strategy. The dialogue with citizens will be ongoing, and at the end of August, tours across all of northern Greece will begin — involving all ministers, always under the coordination of Mr. Gkioulekis. We will canvas all of northern Greece to get our message across,” he noted.
Regarding Mr. Gkioulekis, he said that over the past 15 months — during which he himself served as Deputy Minister of Transport — the two had developed a substantive working relationship. The Deputy Minister of Interior for Macedonia and Thrace, for his part, emphasized that “it is extremely important to maintain this link between the political camp from which the current government emerged, because the camp — the party — is always the bridge to society.” He also noted that the frequent visits by ministers and senior ND officials to Thessaloniki demonstrate that Thessaloniki, Macedonia, and Thrace are not isolated. Kyranakis and Smyrlis also visited New Democracy’s regional headquarters in Thessaloniki, where they held a meeting with the President of the party’s governing committee for the prefecture, Zisis Iakeimovits, and the presidents of the local party branches in the first and second electoral districts, Nikos Patséas and Konstantinos Pallas.
