Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s political message to the government and to New Democracy (ND) was clear in his address to yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. Everyone must be careful about the tone of their remarks, all ministers must go on the media and defend the government’s work as a whole, regardless of portfolio, and the only person who can judge the government’s political personnel until the voters deliver their verdict is Mr Mitsotakis himself.

Admittedly, the last part of the prime minister’s message was discussed even more than the rather mild “yellow card” shown to government ministers and ND MPs. It was seen as his indirect but unmistakable reply to the “high horses” that Dora Bakoyannis said some members of the government had mounted a few days ago.

In reality, in responding to Ms Bakoyannis, and beyond the particular nature of their family relationship, Mr Mitsotakis wanted to send a message to everyone about the various “fiefdoms” forming in the home straight towards the elections. In some cases these stem from personal grievances, in others from local rivalries, and so on. The message is clear: the prime minister has both the privilege and the responsibility of judging the party’s political personnel. And he, too, will be judged for it at the ballot box.

By coincidence, shortly before Mr Mitsotakis addressed the Cabinet, former Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis had appeared on Action24, where he used the phrase “the people are shouting it from the rooftops while we keep it a closely guarded secret” in reference to displays of arrogance. Mr Bakoyannis went on to say that he did not exempt himself from the need for politicians to steer clear of the arrogance of power, but his comment was widely discussed precisely because of who said it.

Dora Bakoyannis did not wish to continue the discussion by “taking up the gauntlet”, although her view is clear to those who have spoken with her in recent days. She believes she simply said out loud something that many within ND are discussing, and something that several MPs also acknowledged days ago.

Hours after the pointed message from the Cabinet, and with chatter in political circles in full swing, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis appeared on Mega to elegantly reinforce the prime minister’s message, without keeping a front open with Ms Bakoyannis. “The citizens are our judges. The person who assesses government officials is the prime minister, and for parliamentary officials it is the party leader, of whichever party, in this case Kyriakos Mitsotakis. I believe that what we should all do is promote the government’s work with decorum and in the right tone,” Mr Marinakis stressed, while also sending a message of unity on the road to the elections.

Mr Mitsotakis’s warning signal was nonetheless clear, at a time when an inward-looking debate can easily open within ND. The wait to see what happens with Samaras’s party is also fuelling concern among a number of ND officials, at both national and local level. It therefore takes little for a spark to become a wildfire, as happened to a degree last week, given that the prime minister was in the US and the government’s staff did not intervene at first.

Mr Mitsotakis, however, wants roles to be clear and the approach shared, as the aim is to rally as much support as possible on the road to the ballot box. After all, ND is a party of government, and its prospects work as a unifying force.