A meeting of main opposition conservative New Democracy’s (ND) political committee concluded on Sunday with the party’s president maintaining that a “leadership issue” was non-existent, despite calls by top cadres to convene a party congress to either renew Antonis Samaras’ mandate or select a new president.

“Whoever puts himself in my shoes for a moment will see,” was Samaras’ message to party officials, six weeks after his crushing defeat by leftist SYRIZA. “I was always taking care so that state coffers had money. I was working all day and night. I did not go home. I did not stop even when I had health problems. For me, it was only Greece.”

The personal tone by the ex-PM and long-time politician — since the 1980s — however failed to quash dissent, with EU Commissioner by Dimitris Avramopoulos stepping down as party VP in order to make way for the “new generation” while also encouraging “introspection”, as he said.

ND deputy, former minister and one-time Athens mayor Dora Bakoyannis called for a party congress during her address, while the absence of former ND prime minister Kostas Karamanlis and parliament speaker Evangelos Meimarakis were also seen as a show of dissent within the ND party ranks.

During his address, when Samaras said the “matter of (a change of) leadership” has ended, Bakoyannis – sitting in the front row of the audience – mouthed “Not yet!”

Despite a reluctance to tender his resignation, Samaras’ opponents from within the party are pushing for a congress. Nikos Dendias, Evripides Stylianidis and other deputies departed the meeting even before it concluded, viewed as a sign of protest.

In support of his own actions as Greece’s prime minister, Samaras said there were many things that could have been done but the country was in danger. “And we can now see that the dangers were real. We needed 1.5 years to exit the tunnel and now they are pushing us into the tunnel again,” he said.