Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of Greece’s opposition party New Democracy, indirectly turned down SYRIZA’s call for consent, during his address at the party’s 10th convention responding with a smile that ‘the microphones were off’, to a proposal voiced by Education Minister Nikos Filis that SYRIZA was open to cooperate with conservative political forces. During his address to the party delegates Mitsotakis underlined that the main priority in Europe was to stem the tide of rising populism and nationalism across the continent. ‘The forces of reason are facing these problems’, he said. He reminded the delegates of New Democracy’s longtime European outlook, adding that it was the only party that could defeat populism. The convention approved the leadership’s proposal for a new articles of association, including the limit to a 5-year term for the President, separation of party and state positions, an annual convention with 2,000 delegates, smaller political committee of 300 members of MPs, ex officio, and elected members, the abolition of the executive secretariat etc.