Within just a few hours yesterday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis carried out an almost full tour of Thessaloniki, making multiple stops.

From the impressive progress on the Flyover project to schools in neighborhoods of western Thessaloniki, as well as projects at the Port—majority-owned by Ivan Savvidis—Mr. Mitsotakis visited various parts of the city. He also took a walk along Tsimiski Street, speaking with citizens.

It is clear that Mr. Mitsotakis wants to heal “wounds” and limit New Democracy’s losses, especially toward parties to its right.

It is indicative that in the recent European elections, New Democracy recorded one of its worst performances in the municipalities of Thessaloniki A, which had also been an “Achilles’ heel” in national elections compared to the party’s overall national percentage.

Particularly in more working-class neighborhoods, such as the municipality of Pavlos Melas and that of Kordelio-Evosmos, New Democracy either struggled or even lost to Hellenic Solution, led by Kyriakos Velopoulos.

Given that both Mr. Velopoulos and Afroditi Latinopoulou come from Thessaloniki, while NIKI, led by Dimitris Natsios, also has influence among local circles, Mr. Mitsotakis aims to pick up the pace and consolidate support using major infrastructure projects as a vehicle.

“We are now talking about a completely different Thessaloniki in terms of major infrastructure projects,” Mr. Mitsotakis stressed, estimating that the city’s overall sentiment will be very different by the time elections are held in spring 2027.

Of course, this also requires systematic party work in the city, while he himself is making frequent visits. In any case, the completion of the Flyover, the delivery and extension of the metro toward Kalamaria (to be completed in a few months), the expansion of the bus fleet, new schools, renovated hospitals, and a series of other projects are considered key assets in New Democracy’s arsenal.

Consolidation through candidate lists

However, the task is not so easy for New Democracy, which in the coming period must win back citizens and party members who became disappointed and drifted away. For this reason, a critical exercise will be the composition of candidate lists, with aides to Mr. Mitsotakis appearing open to intense competition for preference votes, as this could help consolidate support.

In Thessaloniki A, alliances are already forming, such as that between Deputy Ministers Kostas Gioulekas and Elena Rapti, aiming to challenge the “first place” of fellow Deputy Minister Stavros Kalafatis. Deputy Minister Anna Efthymiou is also gaining ground, while fierce competition is expected among other elected MPs such as Stratos Simopoulos, Dimitris Kouvelas, and Diamantis Gkolidakis.

Also entering the equation are the coordinator of the Prime Minister’s office Giannis Papageorgiou and State MP Nefeli Chatzioannidou, while the name of former New Democracy Vice President Margaritis Schinas is being strongly mentioned. Deputy Education Minister Nikos Papaioannou is also expected to run, as is former Finance Ministry Secretary General Nasios Tsiouras, while it remains open whether Deputy Infrastructure Minister Nikos Tachiaos will enter the race, with his decision expected after the metro extension to Kalamaria.

In Thessaloniki B as well, the contest is opening up, as current MP Theodoros Karaoglou has announced his intention to run for regional governor in 2028. New Democracy also has two more MPs there: the top vote-getter in 2023 and Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos, and Fanis Pappas. It remains to be seen whether Mr. Karaoglou will also contest a parliamentary seat, pending a meeting with Mr. Mitsotakis.

For the regional race, the names of Voula Patoulidou—who performed well in the 2024 European election list—and Thessaloniki Deputy Regional Governor Kostas Gioutikas are being strongly discussed, the latter having been interested in succeeding Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who moved to the European Commission.

Observers also noted the presence of former New Democracy Secretary Andreas Papamimikos during Mr. Mitsotakis’s visit to the port facilities. However, he is not considering running in the elections, as he is focused on his law firm and has also taken on an active role at Open TV.