Calmness, but a readiness for changes in due course, prevails in the government camp following the finalization of the results in yesterday’s European elections, which saw New Democracy fall well below the 33% threshold that had been set earlier as an objective. At the same time, the prime minister’s initial reactions now include the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared calm at today’s “morning coffee” meeting at the Maximos Mansion, the first official discussion about the results and the steps to be taken. However, it was made clear that a serious analysis is needed to understand why around one million citizens did not vote for New Democracy this year compared to last year’s national elections. The PM met with top ministers. According to sources, he met with Giorgos Gerapetritis, Akis Skertsos, Kostis Hatzidakis, and Makis Voridis, while shortly after 6 in the afternoon, Adonis Georgiadis.
To prevent the opposition from intensifying its discussions about New Democracy’s performance, Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to give an interview tomorrow, Tuesday, on ALPHA’s main news bulletin, taking the initiative to address and provide answers about the election results.
Initial assessments indicate that the reasons for the ruling party’s decline are multifaceted. This suggests that, based on the results, some citizens wanted to express dissatisfaction with the government’s effectiveness and policy choices, others were irritated by perceived “arrogance” and wanted to protest safely, while others were unhappy with decisions on “identity” issues within the broader center-right spectrum.
A significant role in resolving this equation, as far as possible, will be played by Deputy Minister of the Interior, Theodoros Livanios, known for his analyses of polls and election results. He is expected to present a preliminary significant reading with qualitative and quantitative data today or tomorrow.
According to government sources and as protothema.gr understands, citizen shifts to parties further to the right of New Democracy exist, though these parties have not gained significantly in absolute numbers. Notably, despite New Democracy losing one million votes compared to last year’s national elections, the rise in parties to the right of New Democracy was only 54,000 new votes.
Another conclusion for the ruling party is that there is a significant “gap” in the so-called “center ground.” The prevailing sense is that citizens did not fundamentally shift away from New Democracy but rather chose abstention.
Vehicle traffic has been restored in Athens-Corinth on the current to Corinth
The Cabinet Reshuffle
The prime minister did not open a discussion with his associates about a reshuffle, something not expected given the extended composition. He will likely weigh his options based on the political analysis to be conducted in the coming hours and days.
As protothema.gr reported earlier, the reshuffle might come sooner than the prime minister would prefer, who ideally would not make such decisions during the summer. What remains unanswered is the extent of such an intervention and whether it will include the Maximos Mansion, which has a rather “transitional” setup following the departures of Mr. Bratakos and Papastavrou months ago. Mr. Mitsotakis is not a fan of frequent reshuffles and avoids structural interventions in the setup. It remains to be seen if he will stick to this logic now.
Of course, no one can predict the timing of Mr. Mitsotakis’ initiatives. Those who know him well say that if he makes such a decision, it cannot be delayed, even if it requires a redesign of strategic priorities beyond simple replacements.
Mr. Mitsotakis will be in Jordan tomorrow morning, while over the weekend he has commitments in Switzerland and Brussels. A milestone this week could be the pending cabinet meeting on Friday, postponed since May.
EPP Video Conference
Today at 7:30 in the evening, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate in a teleconference summit with the European People’s Party (EPP) to evaluate the European election results and discuss strategies for selecting leadership in the Commission. Despite the surge of the far-right, the EPP managed to increase its MEPs by ten, and discussions will focus on re-electing Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President.
Tomorrow at 10 am, Mitsotakis will meet with elected ND MEPs to prepare for their duties. Although New Democracy fell short of its 33% electoral goal, the government is calmly assessing the results. Mitsotakis’ trip to Jordan was canceled, and he has scheduled an interview with Alpha on Tuesday night.
During today’s morning briefing at Maximos Mansion, Mitsotakis remained composed while discussing the election results and the necessary steps. However, there is a need for serious analysis of why approximately 1 million citizens did not vote for ND compared to last year’s national elections.
MP Marios Salmas has requested an emergency meeting of the ND Parliamentary Group to assess the “unfavorable” election outcome.
