Maria Karystianou has categorically ruled out any possibility of her movement “Hope for Democracy” cooperating with establishment parties, even in a post-election scenario where government formation becomes an issue. Speaking from Patras during a press conference held as part of her tour of the Achaia region, she insisted that “there will be no ungoverned state,” stressing that the country must be governed — and “governed properly” — while also addressing the movement’s goals and the ongoing trial over the Tempi railway disaster.
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Maria Karystianou: “We are not talking about a coalition or any cooperation”
The leader of the “Hope for Democracy” movement was asked how she would respond if the movement entered parliament and the election results created the risk of governmental paralysis. Her answer was unequivocal when it came to the prospect of working with parties she herself labels as part of the establishment. “There will be no ungoverned state, because there cannot be an ungoverned state. The country must be governed and governed properly. But under no circumstances are we talking about a coalition or any cooperation with establishment parties,” she said.
During the press conference, Maria Karystianou also outlined the movement’s key priorities, listing among them the primary sector, the cost of living crisis, cartels, banks, self-employed professionals, and the country’s demographic decline. “Our goal is to change Greece. To help the primary sector, which is on its last legs; to tackle the cost of living crisis seriously and effectively; to confront cartels and the unchecked power of banks; to help every self-employed professional get back on their feet; and to address the demographic crisis, where birth rates continue to fall. Our goal, therefore, is a new, democratic, and reborn state.”
“We didn’t come here to leave”
The leader of “Hope for Democracy” also sought to define the movement’s presence, declaring that “we didn’t come here to leave.” She added that “we place great importance on cleansing, accountability, and punishment.” The press conference took place at the event hall of the Union of Daily Newspaper Editors of the Peloponnese, Epirus and Islands, in Patras, as part of her regional tour of Achaia.
What she said about the Tempi trial
Maria Karystianou made a separate and pointed reference to the ongoing trial over the Tempi railway disaster, sharply criticising what she described as the deliberate fragmentation of the case. “The Tempi case has been very conveniently broken up into many, many smaller trials. What we have, therefore, is another trial — a mockery of a trial, in my view — because a trial that does not include all the charges and all the defendants, and most importantly does not address the fireball that we know very well burned 27 people alive, is not a trial. It is a sham trial designed to wrap things up, hand down misdemeanor-level sentences, and bury the case in the archives,” she said.
