The government and the New Democracy party are locked in a battle over the possibility of Antonis Samaras forming a new political party. Although Samaras himself has yet to fully reveal his hand, public statements by top officials in the ruling party reflect the concern within New Democracy over the potential political consequences of such a move.The scenario of the former prime minister founding a new party has been at the center of political debate for months; however, reports on the matter have intensified recently, with Samaras himself noting that his decisions have already been made and will be announced “when and as they should be.”
Within the government camp, it is widely assumed that a party led by Antonis Samaras, regardless of its final share of the vote, could negatively impact the New Democracy party’s electoral performance. The main argument put forward is that even a modest electoral showing by such a party could draw critical support away from the party’s right-wing and conservative base, making it more difficult to achieve a strong electoral victory.
New Democracy officials believe that the emergence of a new party to the right of the ruling party would complicate plans to maintain the party’s political dominance and the prospect of a new term as prime minister for Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Although the former prime minister has not made any official announcements, public statements by “blue” party officials have been coming one after another, effectively forming a united front to prevent such a development. These messages are directed not only at the party base but also at Mr. Samaras himself.
A telling example is the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Kostis Hatzidakis, who assessed that a Samaras-led party could draw support away from parties further to the right than New Democracy, yet at the same time would damage the former prime minister’s own political legacy.
Traditional Voters
The Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, took a similar stance. He made it clear that he would be deeply saddened if Mr. Samaras were to go ahead with founding a new party, while emphasizing, however, that in such a case he would find himself politically opposed to him.
A similar message was conveyed by the new secretary of the New Democracy Political Committee, Konstantinos Kyranakis. Acknowledging the role Antonis Samaras played during the difficult years of the economic crisis, he argued that the creation of a new party would disappoint many of the party’s traditional voters, who had stood by him throughout his political career.
Dora Bakoyannis was also asked about the issue; looking back, she noted that the party had honored Mr. Samaras, by elevating him both to the party leadership and to the office of prime minister, expressing her conviction that he would carefully weigh his decisions before taking any action that would pit him against the party that had brought him to power.
Also weighing in on the public debate were Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Markopoulos, who advised Mr. Samaras not to proceed with the establishment of a new political entity, as well as the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Thanasis Kontogeorgis, who acknowledged that such a move could cause electoral damage to New Democracy.
According to reports, the former prime minister believes there is political space for a new expression of the traditional right-wing and patriotic wing. Until final decisions are announced, New Democracy is attempting to curb centrifugal tendencies and consolidate its internal ranks.
Whether and to what extent this will be affected by the establishment of the new party remains to be seen.