The Maximos Mansion was not surprised by the speech of the former Prime Minister, which stayed within expected boundaries – “No comment,” was the response of government officials to questions.
Last night in Patras, following the much-discussed speech by Kostas Karamanlis, the former Prime Minister dined with a group of personal and political friends at the Achaia Clauss winery. This location holds sentimental value for Karamanlis, as the Antonopoulos family, founders of the winery, have long-standing ties with the Karamanlis family. The evening was filled with lighthearted jokes and conversations, with Karamanlis appearing in good spirits, aware that his speech had stirred discussions.
Karamanlis’ speech included two key points. First, he clarified that he is not interested in the position of President of the Republic, despite Antonis Samaras suggesting this recently in Vima tis Kyriakis. Karamanlis has consistently told his associates that the position does not interest him, although he implies this disinterest is based on current conditions. He also understands that the Maximos Mansion had little inclination towards such a proposal.
Second, Karamanlis opposed the idea of disciplining Samaras, emphasizing that punitive measures do not serve the unity needed for a coherent national strategy. “Diverse interpretations and even intense criticism should not be demonized,” Karamanlis remarked, maintaining a stance similar to Samaras, even if he does not endorse the latter’s intensity of rhetoric.
The Maximos Mansion had anticipated Karamanlis’ speech, which adhered to expectations. Government officials uniformly responded to inquiries with “no comment.” A government source explained to protothema.gr that Karamanlis’ views are well-known and politically substantiated, reflecting his rights as a former Prime Minister. Accordingly, the Maximos Mansion does not “criminalize” his political disagreements.
Flashback to 1998
In the absence of major political developments, Karamanlis’ speech attracted significant commentary. Many recalled that in 1998, less than a year into his leadership of New Democracy (ND), Karamanlis expelled key party figures such as Giorgos Souflias, Stefanos Manos, and Vasilis Kontogiannopoulos through a Disciplinary Committee decision. Notably, Souflias had previously run against him in the 1997 leadership race but returned to the party in 2001 with Karamanlis famously stating at the party congress, “Giorgos, welcome back home.”
Critics drew parallels, suggesting that Karamanlis’ younger self did not always consider opposing views as legitimate dissent. Others recalled instances when other party members, like Giorgos Karatzaferis, were expelled—for example, when he called ND spokesperson Aris Spiliotopoulos “Salome.”
Conversely, “Karamanlist” supporters argue that Karamanlis respected former leaders even when disagreeing with them. For example, in 1998, despite expelling Souflias and others, Karamanlis did not subject Konstantinos Mitsotakis to disciplinary action, even though Mitsotakis supported the same controversial legislation on state enterprises.
Distances and Nostalgia
The audience composition at Karamanlis’ speech reflected a bygone era. While current ND MPs from Achaia, such as Andreas Katsaniotis and Christina Alexopoulou, were present, the event also attracted many retired figures like Lefteris Zagoritis and Nikos Nikolopoulos. Overall, the gathering seemed like an attempt to revive the past, albeit not entirely successfully.
The relationship between the Maximos Mansion and Karamanlis continues to resemble parallel paths that never intersect. The distance between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Karamanlis is evident, while Karamanlis shows little inclination to defend the government’s policies, especially since he is no longer an MP.
This dynamic will likely become more pronounced in about 20 days when Karamanlis delivers a speech focused solely on national issues at the 80th-anniversary event commemorating the Kassiotes’ Revolution in Karpathos. It remains to be seen if Samaras, who has also been invited, will attend the event.
