With two TikTok videos, former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has reignited speculation about the formation of a new political party while reintroducing himself to the world of social media with a refreshed image — though with the same sharp criticism of the government’s handling of key issues. Within Samaras’ camp, the videos’ strong performance across social platforms has been met with satisfaction, as his TikTok debut recorded high view counts among the 25–45 and 55+ age groups, as well as on Facebook, YouTube, X, and his newly launched Instagram account. Communications professionals have described the campaign as polished, technically sound, and carefully crafted, with a clear focus on right-wing audiences and a deliberate effort to position Samaras as an experienced statesman who understands the country’s problems, has concrete proposals, and — crucially — as the only credible opposition to Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party. According to sources, the former prime minister plans to ramp up his social media presence in the coming weeks, increasing the frequency of videos in the same style and format as his debut — a dialogue-style conversation with his close associate Nikos Tsioutsias.
Read also: Which parties’ voters could Samaras attract? New GPO poll reveals results — “A relatively easy win for New Democracy supporters,” says Papargыris on Parapolitika 90.1
Antonis Samaras and his many fronts
Just 24 hours after making his social media splash, the former prime minister filed a complaint with the Supreme Court prosecutor requesting an investigation into his alleged surveillance via the Predator spyware. Earlier, he had also gone on the offensive against his successor as prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, calling him “unrepentant over the nationally unacceptable Prespa Agreement” and accusing him of “backing a new Prespa deal in the Aegean” — a reference to statements made by members of the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), Nikos Bistis and Giorgos Siakantaris, regarding Greek-Turkish relations. This was followed by a statement on the so-called “Dokos affair,” while in the meantime, a dinner in the Pangrati neighborhood of Athens with three sitting New Democracy MPs — Charalampos Athanasiou (Lesvos), Giorgos Karasmanis (Pella), and Theofilos Leontaridis (Serres) — was interpreted by well-placed center-right insiders as a signal that the “Samaras party” is in its final stages and could be announced shortly before the next national elections.
The official line from the Prime Minister’s Office (Maximos Mansion) in response to Samaras’ attacks is that engaging in commentary or disputes driven by a personal agenda is irrelevant to society at large, and that the government remains focused on issues that affect citizens’ daily lives — deliberately avoiding a direct confrontation with the former prime minister and former New Democracy leader. Behind the scenes, however, Samaras’ intense activity has not gone unnoticed, even as internal polling at Maximos suggests that a potential Samaras party would not cause significant damage to New Democracy. On the contrary, government insiders believe it would draw more heavily from the party led by Maria Karystianou, Kyriakos Velopoulos’ Greek Solution, and Afroditi Latinopoulou’s Voice of Reason. However, sources close to Samaras point to MRB’s six-month trend data, which indicates that 27.1% of New Democracy voters from the 2024 European Parliament elections consider it likely they would support a future “Samaras party” — arguing that the former prime minister still has a firm foothold among ND voters, particularly the disenchanted ones.
Antonis Samaras: Who supports him, who he’s talking to, and who he wants on board
Antonis Samaras’ core loyalists remain firmly by his side. This inner circle — which has stood with him consistently over the years — includes his trusted confidant Kostas Bouras, his long-standing advisor Chrysanthos Lazaridis, and his press office director Nikos Tsioutsias, who co-stars alongside Samaras in both TikTok videos.
In terms of broader outreach, the figures that Samaras’ inner circle has reportedly approached are drawn overwhelmingly from New Democracy’s ranks — most of them individuals who have distanced themselves from the center-right party in recent years. These include, according to sources, former MPs Akis Gerontopoulos, Kostas Tzavaras, Kostas Markopoulos, Panos Panagiotopolous, Argyris Ntinopoulos, Antonis Bezas, Zisis Tzikalagas, and Manolis Aggelakas. Another pool from which Samaras’ team appears to have been actively building a communications network is that of former New Democracy parliamentary candidates, such as Nikos Karagiannakidis from Thessaloniki A’, Stella Biziou from Larissa, physician Giorgos Samartis from Arcadia, and Ioanna Gkelestathi, who previously ran with New Democracy in the Southern Athens sector — notably, Samaras appeared at a recent event of hers just days after she left the party. Veterans with organizational experience from the Samaras and Kostas Karamanlis eras of New Democracy leadership are also said to be open to re-engaging on the organizational front, should Samaras “press the button” and formally launch a new party. These include Manolis Aggelakas, Giorgos Vernadakis, Christos Zois, Thanasis Ntavlouros, Argyris Ntinopoulos, Dimitris Panozachos, Fevronia Patrianakou, Thanasis Skordas, Sergios Tsiftis, and Serafeim Tsokas — all of whom co-signed a letter highlighting the need for a new political vehicle. In academia, university figures such as theology professor Yannis Panagiotopolous, Meletis Meletopoulos, and Ioannis Mazis — all participants in the “Movement of the 91” — are also expected to rally behind a new political project led by Samaras.
Published in Parapolitika newspaper
