For the second time in just a few days, Kyriakos Mitsotakis sought to send a message in every direction that he intends to remain at the helm of New Democracy — both ahead of the spring 2027 elections and in the period between electoral contests, following the model of the double ballot of 2023.

At the Thessaloniki International Fair press conference, Mr. Mitsotakis had dismissed with the phrase “you must be joking” the scenarios of a leadership change in ND midstream, calling them unserious. Yesterday evening, speaking on ANT1’s main news bulletin, Mitsotakis went a step further, responding even to the hypothetical scenario of him stepping down as party leader if ND fails to secure an outright majority after the first ballot.

“It is the people who elect the Prime Minister, not the power brokers. The people don’t just vote for a party, they also vote for a Prime Minister,” Mitsotakis said pointedly, responding to the rumors circulating in Kolonaki Square, according to which, more or less, many citizens have no issue with ND itself but with him personally.

“The result of the elections will be the best proof of whether Greek citizens want us to continue governing this country or not,” Mitsotakis added once again. In fact, at another point he pressed the same argument: “I often hear this talk. I heard it back in 2023 too, you know — ‘Mitsotakis must go.’ Fine, ‘Mitsotakis must go,’ no problem. But who should come instead? That’s not for me to answer, since obviously I want Mitsotakis to stay, right? But those who say ‘Mitsotakis must go’ must at some point provide an answer…”, he stressed with meaning.

Tours and explanations

Launching his effort to restore the government’s standing, starting with the Thessaloniki Fair, Mitsotakis has decided to systematize his contact with citizens and place particular emphasis on explaining the measures he announced. After all, the conclusion drawn within the Maximos Mansion from opinion poll analysis is that party unity has “ticked upward,” which is reflected in ND’s percentage. However, the measures themselves remain a “gray zone” for many people.

Mitsotakis and government officials are seeking to address this issue through constant promotion and detailed clarification, while acknowledging that citizens will only feel the benefit in their wallets a few months from now.

True to this strategy, Mitsotakis will be in Lemnos today, one of the frontier islands that benefit both from the abolition of ENFIA until 2027 and from the 30% VAT reduction. He will meet with local officials, including Northern Aegean regional governor Kostas Moutzouris, as well as speak with citizens — in the style of his recent tours within Attica, which will resume later in the month after his return from the United States.

A “small basket”

At a time when numerous opinion polls are being published, Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared cautious about projecting their findings onto the 2027 elections. “In April 2023, just two months before the national elections, the polls back then put New Democracy at 32–33%. It won the election with 40%,” he said on ANT1, making it clear that it does not necessarily follow that the same will happen again. Still, he insisted, it is better “to keep expectations modest when trying to predict the electoral landscape 18 or 20 months from now, when the national elections will be held.”

It is under this lens that Mitsotakis also reads the surveys currently being released (SKAI yesterday, Mega today). In voting intention, ND stands at 24% while PASOK is at just 11.5%. In voting estimate, ND rises to 29%, slightly improved from the same company’s 28.5% reading in June. The evaluation of Mitsotakis’s announced measures is not insignificant: 44% believe they are in the right direction, compared to 45% who deem them insufficient. Notably, both across age groups and among those who have voted or still vote for ND, acceptance of the measures exceeds ND’s stated voting intention — a figure that perhaps identifies the party’s target group.