Fifty years after the founding of New Democracy by Konstantinos Karamanlis, the party, led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, returns to its historic headquarters on Rigillis Street for a unity gathering that addresses all generations of the party. According to party sources, a significant turnout is expected, as the party’s machinery has been mobilized in the days leading up to the event.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to take the specially prepared stage in front of the building at number 18 shortly after 8:00 PM. For around 35 years, the central offices of New Democracy were housed in the neoclassical building on Rigillis, which became associated with some of the most critical moments of the post-dictatorship period before the party relocated to Syngrou Avenue and later to Piraeus Street for financial reasons. Today’s event is intended to be a “dive” into the party’s historical past, with the iconic torch symbol present. The balcony, where both victories were celebrated and historical defeats recorded, is expected to be adorned with flags. After all, New Democracy remains the most resilient party of the post-dictatorship era, staying in power for fifty years.
Earlier, Mr. Mitsotakis will have given an interview to Mega TV, and when he steps onto the stage, he is expected to draw a “bridge” between the past and present—highlighting the historical decisions of New Democracy that have been vindicated, alongside today’s challenges the party faces under his leadership during a period of near-uninterrupted political dominance.
The Response from Karamanlis-Samaras
The celebratory event, musically enhanced with “songs of the blue generation,” is not taking place in an atmosphere of complete joy. With the absence of substantial opposition, New Democracy is experiencing its own internal turbulence, following the results of the European elections.
A crucial factor for internal party balance will be whether or not the two former prime ministers, Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras, make an appearance at Rigillis, even for a brief time. According to sources close to Karamanlis, the former prime minister is expected to clarify his intentions today. Behind the scenes, there are speculations that both former prime ministers will act in unison, meaning either both will attend or neither. Yesterday, conflicting reports emerged about their intentions, with some speculating that Karamanlis’ considerations may differ, given that he was New Democracy’s longest-serving president. Karamanlis has received numerous suggestions from his close allies to attend, while similar advice has been given to Antonis Samaras, encouraging him to set aside his known grievances. However, from Samaras’ camp, there has been complete silence.
Mitsotakis’ associates are keeping a low profile, noting that the prime minister did what was necessary by personally inviting them, a gesture not guaranteed after the criticisms from the former leaders at the War Museum in early July. Of course, the decision of the two former prime ministers will also influence how the government proceeds, as the current stance is that they are entitled to express their views as they see fit.
New Interventions by MPs
In this context, several New Democracy MPs made interventions yesterday with pointed questions and statements. One of the “11” MPs who raised the issue of non-performing loans, Giorgos Vlachos, submitted a question to Minister Kostis Hatzidakis and invited him to address the issue in Parliament. Additionally, Larissa MP Maximos Charakopoulos raised a question to Environment Minister Theodoros Skylakakis regarding “outrageous electricity bills for flood-affected farmers’ wells.” Finally, Evripidis Stylianidis, who also signed the intervention regarding the loans, made a pointed remark from Komotini, where he was attending a regional development conference. “One of Konstantinos Karamanlis’ core values was decentralization. That’s why I prioritize attending this conference tomorrow over being at the street party on Rigillis, even though I emotionally belong to those who built Rigillis, not those who came later,” he remarked pointedly.
Yesterday, meetings continued between New Democracy MPs, this time with Adonis Georgiadis, who held an open conversation with attendees. Of the 60 MPs present in the Senate Hall, about 20 spoke, including Deputy Minister Irini Agapidaki, Undersecretaries Marios Themistokleous and Dimitris Vartzopoulos, along with general secretaries and regional officials. The discussion was described as substantive, given that Mr. Georgiadis is one of the ministers with an “open-door” policy for MPs.
Reportedly, there was a tense exchange between Nikitas Kaklamanis and Irini Agapidaki when Kaklamanis criticized her for sending untrained doctors to rural clinics and for the personal doctor system. Agapidaki countered that he was mistaken, and Kaklamanis persisted, also highlighting that hospitals have debts close to €1 billion, to which Themistokleous responded that the actual figure is closer to €300 million.
