With a coffee in hand, Mitsotakis sat next to MPs who had recently turned up the heat in their public statements, such as Dimitris Markopoulos and Fotini Arampatzi, among others.

And in order to leave nothing to the imagination — and to send a clear message of unity — the prime minister allowed journalists to remain present and even record much of the conversation.

The gesture was not a given, but again Mitsotakis set the tone. At the end of the discussion he stressed that “we must listen to the MPs,” noting that they are the ones who capture the pulse of society.

In practice, the prime minister offered a symbolic “win” to ND MPs — the same MPs who only days ago had effectively pushed out former Hellenic Post (ELTA) CEO Grigoris Sklikas after a heated debate.

It is also clear that several MPs are disgruntled over the handling of the OPEKEPE issue, which has caused turmoil especially in the regions and political pressure on them personally.

Beyond that, MPs regularly voice discomfort with decisions made by the Prime Minister’s Office or certain ministers and technocrats — something many attribute to the fact that a large number of “blue” MPs were left out of government posts and now face difficulties in their constituencies.

Unity through spring 2027

Mitsotakis’ goal is for New Democracy to move forward united and disciplined on the road to the 2027 elections, which he suggested could take place even slightly later than March 2027 — but in any case by spring 2027, given Greece’s upcoming assumption of the EU Presidency in early July.

It is also clear that the prime minister wishes to renew his contract with the Greek people, as he put it during his recent discussion with actor Giannis Bezos at the Greece Talks conference, organized by Travel.gr and Proto Thema.

In that context, more “blue dinners” with ND MPs should be expected in the coming weeks. The prime minister is believed to be planning outings based on the composition of parliamentary committees.

The last such dinner was hosted recently by George Gerapetritis, following a briefing for MPs at ND headquarters on Piraeus Street.

This round of meetings will begin once Mitsotakis returns from Singapore, where he is traveling on Wednesday, and after the party holds its internal elections for the presidency of local and regional ND organizations next Sunday.