The decision by Kyriakos Mitsotakis to deliver – always in consultation with the family of Kosta Simitis – one of the eulogies at today’s funeral service at the Metropolis of Athens was institutionally expected but is politically interesting. While Mr Mitsotakis’ New Democracy may have incorporated into roles as ministers, MPs, general secretaries, and so on, people who rose to political prominence during the Simitis period, the former prime minister was the main political rival of the New Democracy for several years. And even at that time, the conflict with Kostas Karamanlis’ ND was fierce, with Kostas Karamanlis dubbing Kostas Simitis the “high priest of the interconnectedness”.

Concretely, he has been called the Greek government’s “chief crusader”.

According to government sources, Mitsotakis will take a stand today both out of an institutional obligation to a twice-elected prime minister, and also out of a personal desire to emphasize the political characteristics of Kostas Simitis that he finds useful and relevant in present terms.

What are these, in the prime minister’s view? The methodicalness, the European orientation of the deceased, the emphasis on results, and the democratic functioning of a major party. The prime minister is also expected to stand on important achievements of the Simitis period which were also a field of understanding with ND, such as Greece’s accession to the EMU, but also the Helsinki agreement for Cyprus’ accession to the EU without the Cyprus problem having been resolved beforehand.

Mitsotakis’ position does not mean, according to his associates, that there are no given and known differences, while the prime minister is not expected to stand much on the term “modernisation”, which Simitis advocated, while he himself has spoken of the “multi-powered modernisation” that the country needs. At the same time, the Prime Minister will stress that political disagreement and rivalry should not be linked to hostility.

The decisions on the Presidency

Mitsotakis’ attendance at Simitis’ funeral also does not come in a neutral political environment, as name-calling rages regarding the presidency of the Republic and the choice the prime minister will make. The only certainty is that next Wednesday, January 15, Mitsotakis will go to the Presidential Mansion for his scheduled meeting with Katerina Sakellaropoulou and is expected to communicate his intentions to her.

From that moment on, as government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis put it yesterday on Mega, every day could be a day of announcements regarding the Prime Minister’s intentions.

It is clear that Mitsotakis will seek consensus, apparently also turning to PASOK, as the 156 ND and 31 PASOK deputies add up to 187, which is a sufficient number to document a broader consensus. At the same time, there are “tanks” in the 24 independent MPs, so the number could go up.

In any case, Mitsotakis is called upon to find the golden mean between the need for consensus and the unity of the New Democracy Party. He is expected to finalize his decisions at the weekend when he can hold discussions with government officials whose opinions he trusts.

As a competent government source puts it, of course, the eulogy for Costas Simitis should not be taken as a “sign” of the political origins of Mitsotakis’ choice. What the same source believes is that the Prime Minister’s choice, which will be explained in the televised message of the announcement, will be governed by the principles of political realism.