As the political season that is about to resume in a few days is thoroughly pre-election-oriented, discussions in cafés and at festivals around the country about who will staff New Democracy’s election tickets are particularly lively.

Government officials note an apparent paradox: although the governing party has entered its eighth year in office and polling figures do not point to an overwhelming electoral victory like those of 2019 or 2023, interest in candidacies is strong—roughly twice the number of available seats.

Throughout the previous period, senior New Democracy officials surveyed the party machinery and also screened the names of the 2023 candidates, in order to determine who is interested in running again. Based on this, it is estimated that in the coming weeks approximately 100 party figures across Greece will officially be given their “marching orders,” allowing them to become more active in their local communities.

In any case, drawing up the candidate lists is a difficult task, with different challenges in different areas.

For example, in several constituencies New Democracy will have to contend with the Samaras party that is currently being formed. Consequently, the local candidate lists are being drawn up with the aim of minimizing losses, since former MPs, former candidates, and local-government figures originating from the New Democracy camp are expected to run alongside former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

At the same time, given that the qualitative polling data available to the Prime Minister’s Office suggest that voters are not asking New Democracy to move further to the right, the party will also need candidates who embody a “two-sided” political course—people with party credentials but also a more centrist profile.

The 100 names

Most likely in September, after the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)—with elections now expected to be held next May—100 names of party figures who will fill the “blue” candidate lists will be made public.

These are not unknown names, as many have already been discussed, while the list will also include 2023 candidates who want to try again. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already given “marching orders” to several prominent and high-profile figures in the governing party.

Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou will run in Trikala, where incumbent MP Katerina Papakosta will ultimately also be a candidate, despite being referred to trial over the OPEKEPE case and having initially announced her intention to withdraw from the party lists.

New Democracy spokesperson Alexandra Sdoukou will run in Athens A, rather than the single-seat constituency of Grevena, which had initially been her target. In Thessaloniki A, Deputy Education Minister Nikos Papaioannou will run; before the summer break, he held a large gathering of supporters at a central café in the city.

Also already announced for Thessaloniki A are the coordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office, Giannis Papageorgiou, and former secretary-general of the Finance Ministry Athanasios Tsiouras. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Nikos Tachiaos, who was also a candidate in 2019, is likewise being seriously considered.

The list will also include several names previously reported by Proto Thema about a month ago: actor Thanasis Viskadourakis and lawyer Pola Damianou in Athens A; photographer Dimitris Skoulos in Piraeus B; in Evros, New Democracy’s deputy spokesperson for regional media and coordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki Elena Soukou; lawyer Zoi Stavropoulos in Argolis; lawyer Porfylenia Kanellopoulou in Messinia; lawyer Nikos Bloskas in Halkidiki; former Corfu mayor Meropi Ydraiou; young lawyer Apostolos Spanos in Evia; oncologist Konstantinos Tsigaridas in Evrytania; and Central Macedonia regional councillor Anna Tzika in Pieria.

The deputy regional governors

A special case concerns incumbent deputy regional governors who want to enter national politics. A few weeks ago, while speaking at a New Democracy parliamentary meeting for the presentation of the iKO application, Mitsotakis had given those interested in moving to the national political stage until the end of July to resign from their positions.

“Obviously, that would have made sense if we were holding elections in September. Now that it is clear the elections will be held at the end of the four-year term, the deadline has informally been moved,” a source said.

The list of 100 candidates to be announced in September will therefore also include deputy regional governors, provided they resign soon. In several cases, however, after weighing their alternatives and the balance within the New Democracy candidate lists, they may choose to remain in local government.

Potentially interested figures include Thanasis Mavrommatis and Nikos Katsakiouris in Aetolia-Acarnania; Nikos Korovesis in Elis; Charalampos Bonanos, Fokion Zaimis and Anna Mastorakou in Achaia; Agni Nakou in Ioannina; Vasilis Psathas in Arta; Vasilis Sideris in Argolis; Tasos Gkiolis in Corinth; Fani Papathoma in Boeotia; Giorgos Kelaiditis in Evia; Panagiotis Spyropoulos in Serres; Lyssandros Metaxas in Kozani; Dimitris Savvopoulos in Kastoria; and Pantelis Vroulis in Chios, among others.

A particularly interesting case is Kavala, where the first internal party showdown is beginning to unfold openly. MP Makarios Lazaridis maintains that after July 31, deputy regional governors can no longer be candidates.

According to reports, he is taking aim—without naming him directly—at Deputy Regional Governor for Development Alexandros Iosifidis, who was recently elected to New Democracy’s Political Committee and is said to want a place on the ballot, as suggested by a series of posts he has made.

In a particularly pointed Facebook post on August 9, Lazaridis wrote: “In Kavala, the other guy wants to be a New Democracy candidate, held an event with 30 people, and the PASOK people showed up!”

“Marching orders”

A number of ministers and MPs are in the process of arranging their candidacies. For example, shortly before the August recess, Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous, who will run in Eastern Attica, visited the Prime Minister’s Office and met with the prime minister.

The other Health Ministry figure, Alternate Minister Eirini Agapidaki, is stepping up her activity in the Western Sector of Athens B.

In the Southern Sector, Andreas Loverdos and the prime minister’s Director of Digital Communications Nikos Romanos are particularly active, while other names are also being discussed for the constituency.

In the Northern Sector, Pavlos Marinakis, the new entrant to the candidate list, is reportedly placing among the top three in all rolling polls currently being conducted, alongside Kostis Hatzidakis and Adonis Georgiadis.

In Western Attica, Stamatis Poullis, who was the first runner-up in 2023 and has fought several political battles against Pavlos Polakis, is interested in running again.

New Democracy is also placing particular emphasis on agricultural constituencies, where it has been losing support because of the OPEKEPE affair and delays in payments before the organization’s transfer to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE).

Similar attention will be paid to the Peloponnese because of the influence of Antonis Samaras, particularly Messinia, his place of origin and a constituency he has represented since 1977. One name that has recently been discussed is Panagiotis Nikas, former governor of the Peloponnese and a staunch political opponent of Samaras.

The State list

Another task that will be completed at a later stage is the formation of New Democracy’s State list.

Of those elected in 2023, apart from Agapidaki, Giorgos Stamatis will run in Corinth.

Christos Stylianides is interested in the presidential elections in Cyprus. Nefeli Hatziioannidou and Ioanna Lytrivi appear inclined not to run in a constituency where voters cast preference votes, while Theodoros Skylakakis is looking for a constituency within the Athens metropolitan area, with the Northern Sector as his first—but not binding—preference.

Dimitris Avramopoulos is also expected to leave the Elis candidate list, although his political future remains unresolved.

As for the State list, a discussion between the prime minister and Parliament Speaker Nikita Kaklamanis remains pending. Kaklamanis does not want to run again in Athens A. People familiar with their relationship estimate that the discussion will take place later and frankly, with the prime minister appreciating the way Kaklamanis handles the highly charged parliamentar

y environment.

More recently, the name of retired General Frangoulis, former Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, has also been mentioned strongly.

Agricultural Development Minister Margaritis Schoinas is also expected to be considered for the State list and could play an active role during the election campaign.

Other names being discussed include Theodoros Roussopoulos, who successfully managed New Democracy’s recent congress, and Environment Minister Stavros Papastavrou, who has handled difficult assignments, many of them of national importance.

A special case is Afroditi Nestora, who is running in Thessaloniki A. For symbolic reasons, there may be a discussion about moving her to the State list; otherwise, she will remain in her electoral constituency, where her candidacy would presumably gain greater momentum.

She is keeping her cards close to her chest, as she did in her recent interview with Proto Thema, since only recently did 40 days pass since the murder of her mother, Vaia. Nevertheless, she does not intend to leave politics.

Photos: Eurokinissi