The government is attempting to take the lead in shaping the political landscape of the pre-election period, at a critical juncture and as new parties are upending the status quo.
At the Maximos Mansion, they know that the coming period will be decisive both for maintaining the New Democracy party’s electoral dominance and for halting the momentum of the new political formations that are attempting to capitalize on the current erosion of support for the party as its second term in office term.
The qualitative data from the latest polls contain clear warning signs on the path to a majority government, though—at least for now—the ruling party’s clear lead over its political rivals remains unchallenged.
In this context, younger voters continue to pose a difficult puzzle for the government, while concerns are also being raised about the decline in influence among specific social and professional groups, such as freelancers and farmers. These are segments of the population that in previous years had provided significant political support to the New Democracy party, but today appear extremely wary of the government’s choices.
That is why the Prime Minister’s Office views the Thessaloniki International Fair this coming September as a pivotal political milestone for the future. The proposals reaching the prime minister’s office converge on the need for a package of measures with a clear focus on tax relief and further outreach to the middle class.
The government’s argument is based on the assessment that the country’s positive fiscal outlook allows for additional targeted relief measures without jeopardizing fiscal stability. It is no coincidence that on Friday in Chania, Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose to bring the economic results of the past seven years back into the spotlight, arguing that the government has fulfilled the vast majority of the commitments it made before the last election.
“When I examine the commitments we made in 2023 and compare them with the results in 2026, I find that we have fulfilled most of them, ” he noted, reiterating that the country now has a plan with a horizon of 2030.
The strongest card
Behind this rhetoric that will guide the country toward the elections, government officials acknowledge that the economy remains the strongest card, but also the arena where future political developments will largely be decided. That is why the prime minister is constantly emphasizing the narrative of growth, attracting investment, and convergence with Europe.
At the same time, at the Maximos Mansion, they are also building a line of defense against the parties led by Tsipras and Karistianos, without ignoring the discussions surrounding the possibility of Antonis Samaras forming a party. A move that could affect—to an unknown extent—the New Democracy party’s election results, as it would create new conditions and “shuffle the deck” among the right-wing electorate.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s choice is not to respond with personal attacks nor to contribute to the political elevation of his opponents’ new (and returning) politicians. Instead, he seeks to shift the discussion toward the positive initiatives that have been taken, in the realm of governability and historical memory, as well as keeping the dilemma of stability versus uncertainty in the spotlight.
“Greece has already experimented with populists, and it didn’t go very well. Now that the populists are reappearing, with a clever strategy to revamp their image and saying the same things, citizens are saying: "Okay, but the last time we tried that, we almost went bankrupt," was his characteristic remark at the conference organized by The Economist and powergame.gr.
In the coming period, the government’s plans will unfold on other fronts as well, with the expectation that they will be well-received by the public. Thus, the submission to Parliament this week of the New Democracy party’s proposals for constitutional revision is expected to lend an institutional and reformist tone to the narrative of the Maximos Mansion, while the Prime Minister’s ongoing tours and the inaugurations of projects and infrastructure across the country aim to reconnect with social groups that have distanced themselves from the ruling party. A difficult undertaking, but—according to those close to Mr. Mitsotakis—achievable.