NEW DEMOCRACY: No matter how hard the ruling coalition tries to appear unconcerned about Karystianos’ party and Samaras’(potential) party, the truth is far more complicated.
Its representatives (and some pollsters) may claim at every turn that Maria and Antonis will have minimal influence on its voters. However, even if this is confirmed in practice—and there is no shift among those who currently say they will vote for New Democracy—the problem lies elsewhere.
It lies in the pool of right-leaning voters who either say they are undecided or appear reluctant to go to the polls. And that’s a lot of votes!
They, therefore, will largely determine whether the ruling party can turn the much-touted “voting intention” into actual votes.
And even more so, whether it will begin to achieve poll numbers that will ultimately allow it, motivated by a desire for “stability,” to exceed the poll projections—something that happened, for example, in 2023.
This is also evident from the fierce media attacks Karistianou’s party has been facing in recent days, including open accusations that it is being directly instigated by Russian actors.
SAMARAS: Aside from the government, however, former Prime Minister Antonis will be watching today’s official presentation of Karistianou’s party—and the polls that follow—very closely.
Given his fierce rivalry with Kyriakos, as well as the fact that he appeals to a demographic quite similar to Maria’s, he appears, according to some political observers, to have two paths ahead of him.
Either to proceed with the creation of a new party, or to offer support to Maria of Tempi’s new formation. Which of the two will happen, they say, will likely depend on the political character of the new party, as well as its appeal.
For New Democracy, however, both scenarios are dangerous, precisely because it can no longer afford to lose potential voters, especially from the right.
Because it has already lost a portion of the liberal center that had previously supported it. Mainly due to the events surrounding the wiretaps, the Tempi scandal, and OPEKEPE. The stance now being taken by Evangelos Venizelos, Anna Diamantopoulou, and many other opinion leaders across the broader political spectrum is indicative of the rift that has occurred.
PARLIAMENT: What happened yesterday inside and outside the Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee can be described as… the epitome of the surreal:
* Nikos Androulakis asks EYP Director Themistoklis Demiris why his predecessor, Panagiotis Kontoleon, authorized his surveillance by the Agency. (Note: the surveillance took place when he was a Member of the European Parliament and was preparing to run for the presidency of PASOK).
* Mr. Demiris claims ignorance because, as he said, he did not see the reasons for Mr. Androulakis’s surveillance in any document.
Shortly thereafter, party officials relayed part of the Demiris-Androulakis exchange to reporters, given that the session was“closed,” meaning it was not being broadcast live.
The dialogue was reported in the media and… sparked a flurry of reactions, both from New Democracy and from Speaker of the House Nikitas Kaklamanis.
He even informed reporters that he would ask the Parliament’s Ethics Committee today to collect the reports and investigate where the leak originated, citing the confidential nature of the session.
The description “surreal” stems from the fact that, on the one hand, those who learned that the confidentiality of their telephone conversations had been breached have been asking for four years why this happened (and have received no answer), but, on the other hand, the leak of a few seconds of dialogue from a closed-door session has provoked the outrage of the New Democracy party and the Speaker of the House.
On this matter, former Speaker of the House Apostolos Kaklamanis commented on Nikitas’s reaction:“He strains at a gnat and swallows a camel. The country is undergoing a democratic deviation that is also reflected in the functioning of parliament.”
Meanwhile, from the countless “closed-door” sessions (note: not only in Parliament), information always “leaks out” and is reported in numerous publications, without any investigation ever being ordered into the source of the information…
NEW LEFT: In early May (on the 8th of the month, to be precise, according to the parliamentary transparency portal), the Parliament approved the appointment of Gabriel Sakellaridis as a temporary staff member for the office of the New Left’s parliamentary representative. This came one month after Alexis Haritsis resigned as party president and Mr. Sakellaridis, who is already the party’s secretary, temporarily assumed the position.
But what will happen if, in the next 24 hours, five more New Left MPs become independent—specifically Alexis Haritsis, Efi Achtsioglou, Nassos Iliopoulos, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, and Zeibek Husein (excluding Ferhat Ozgur, who has already done so)?
Quite simply, the party’s 11-member parliamentary group will be dissolved, since ten MPs are required to maintain it (note: because it was formed not following an election, but due to a split from another party, in this case SYRIZA).
Without a parliamentary group, there will be no parliamentary representative, so Mr. Sakellaridis’s appointment will be terminated.
Furthermore, Peti Perka, who took over as chair of the New Left’s parliamentary group following Haritsis’s resignation, will no longer be referred to as “political leader.”
We should also note some reports suggesting that Ms. Achtsioglou is considering resigning from her parliamentary seat and handing it over, in order to send the appropriate message to the left-wing audience she addresses.
According to other reports, however, 2–3 SYRIZA MPs (from different electoral districts across the country) are also expected to resign from their parliamentary seats to signal the start of this process.
TSIPRAS: Now that the date and time have been announced for when Alexis Tsipras will officially present his new party, his office has begun releasing new teasers, this time regarding the name.
In a mini-poll of young people, the word“Pyxida” came out on top, while the suggestion to name the party…“Laura”drew laughter, as it refers to Ms. Kovesi.
On the sidelines of the preparations, however, people close to Mr. Tsipras seem to be… opening up a bit more in their discussions. For example, some of them not only deny that the former president (and, in essence, founder) of SYRIZA is behind the party’s dissolution, but also believe that it is politically advantageous for the new venture to have another ballot listing “SYRIZA” in the elections.
The reasoning?“Because that way, no one will be able to claim that the new party is a revamped SYRIZA.”
And let dozens and hundreds of members and officials of the current SYRIZA prepare to attend on Tuesday at Thiseio for the presentation of the “Tsipras party.”
P.S.: As for the attendance of current MPs who have not resigned from office, don’t get your hopes up: it has never happened before that MPs from one party would honor the founding of another party with their presence…
MARTINOS: Against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and skyrocketing freight rates, shipowner Thanasis Martinos’ Eastern Mediterranean Maritime appears to be attempting to capitalize on the situation by sending a VLCC to the Persian Gulf at a time when other shipowners are leaving the region.
According to LSEG data, the 300,000-dwt tanker Grand Lady, built in 2011, entered the Strait of Hormuz with its AIS system turned off while sailing near the Iranian island of Larak. The vessel appeared to be sailing “for orders,” meaning it was seeking cargo.
The Baltic Exchange estimates freight rates from the Persian Gulf to Asia at approximately $427,000 per day, while comparable voyages from West Africa yield about $115,000 per day.
Eastmed had also recently made headlines when another VLCC in its fleet, the Agios Fanourios I, managed to bypass the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz by transporting 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil bound for Vietnam, following a special permit from U.S. authorities.
DIVANIS: “XENODOCHIA KARAVEL S.A.,” which manages the Divani Caravel hotels in Kaisariani, the Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso, and the Divani Apollon Suites in Kavouri, reported an increase in revenue for 2025.
Revenue stood at €53.4 million, up 2% compared to 2024, mainly due to increased tourist traffic and higher room revenue. Pre-tax profits amounted to €25.03 million, remaining essentially at the previous year’s levels. Meanwhile, in 2025, the company—which, as noted, has no debt obligations—proceeded with a dividend distribution of €10.5 million.
For 2026, management appears optimistic, citing particularly positive prospects for tourism and especially for Athens. However, it notes that geopolitical developments in the Middle East, rising energy costs, as well as increased competition from new hotel properties and short-term rentals like Airbnb, may affect the market and prices throughout the year.
PRODEA: The management of the listed group had signaled increased dividends to shareholders following the dual deal with Yoda Plc (Papalex Group) and National Bank of Greece, as well as real estate sales totaling over €1 billion.
And it is following through, as it announced yesterday that the proposal for this year’s dividend amounts to €455.18 million, or approximately 33% of its total market capitalization!
Based on rough calculations and given that the capital increase “process” has not yet been completed, we are looking at a dividend in the range of €1.50. With the stock trading at €5.60, this results in an impressive dividend yield of over 26%.
Given that the listed company has also distributed an interim dividend of €0.216 per share, the total dividend yield exceeds 30%.
MOTOR OIL: Yesterday’s 3.64% gain placed the stock second in terms of performance among FTSE 25 members, trailing only Viohalco.
The Vardinoyannis Group’s stock had reached its year-to-date high (€39) at the beginning of the month, but has since followed a downward trend, which had led to cumulative losses of 10.5% as of the day before yesterday .
It remains to be seen whether there is enough momentum to recover a larger portion of those losses.
AS COMPANY: A third consecutive high for the listed company in yesterday’s session, in which it gained 3.23%, rising to €4.80.
Since its year-to-date low on March 30, it has posted a return of 28%. As the company’s management noted in a recent conference call, despite international uncertainty, it remains committed to its target of a 10% increase in sales, both this year and for the next two years.
Yesterday, a block trade of 50,000 shares was executed at a price of €4.79.
INTERLIFE: Second day of a rebound for the insurance stock, which had been in a sideways-downward channel since April 22, when it hit €7, with total losses nearing 11%.
Most of the decline was recouped yesterday with a close at €6.68 ( +6.03%), in a session where shares worth €82,000 changed hands.
IDEAL: Ideal Holdings kicked off 2026 with an increase in revenue and operating profitability, according to Eurobank Equities’ estimates ahead of today’s first-quarter earnings announcement, prior to the market opening.
The brokerage estimates that the group’s consolidated revenue stood at €124 million, marking an 8% increase year-over-year.
The main drivers of growth were the IT operations and Barba Stathis, where a double-digit increase in sales is projected.
In terms of operating profitability, Eurobank Equities forecasts EBITDAaL of €11.7 million, up 5% from last year, with the corresponding margin remaining essentially stable at 9.4%.
Pre-tax profits are estimated at €6.8 million, marking an 8% increase, despite the burden of higher financial expenses following the bond issuance in the fourth quarter of 2025.