With Pieria and Thessaloniki, which he is visiting today and tomorrow, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is attempting to strengthen ND’s political presence in Macedonia. It is a period during which the rallying of the traditional blue electoral base is a key objective in the government’s planning, while the countdown to the elections is underway.
The prime minister’s two-day presence in the two regions, one month after his previous presence for the Thessaloniki International Fair, has institutional, but also symbolic content. At the same time, however, it also acquires a distinct political imprint, as it is taking place in a geographical area where ND, although it traditionally showed a strong electoral presence, has recorded significant losses in recent years.
The numerical data are indicative. In Pieria, it had received 38.80% in the 2023 national elections, a percentage that in the 2024 European elections was reduced to 25.94%. In Thessaloniki A it fell from 35.28% in 2023 to 24.33%, while in Thessaloniki B the corresponding change was from 40.11% to 27.15%.
In these specific constituencies, the parties and political forces moving to the right of ND (Greek Solution, Voice of Reason, Niki) have gained greater appeal, creating a new competitive environment for the traditional base of the ruling party.
Attempt to reconnect
In this context, the prime minister’s presence in the region does not concern only the promotion of government work. It is also part of the effort to reconnect ND with social and electoral groups that in previous years either distanced themselves and are waiting or moved away and chose to shift to other political forces.
The halting of leaks to the right and the gradual restoration of electoral cohesion therefore constitute critical parameters of the political strategy being shaped with a view to the upcoming ballot boxes.
Pieria is an indicative stop in this effort. Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet in Pydna with the mayor of Pydna - Kolindros, Christos Kombatsiaris, will visit the Holy Monastery of Saint Dionysios on Olympus and then will be in Litochoro, where he will speak at the event for the inclusion of Olympus in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Olympus was officially included in the World Heritage List in July 2026, a fact that lends particular symbolism to the prime minister’s presence in the area.
The program will continue with visits to the Cultural Center of Katerini and the city’s Music School, while in the afternoon the prime minister will meet with citizens.
The second part of the prime minister’s two-day presence will unfold in Thessaloniki, where tomorrow he will attend, together with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, the ceremony for the signing of a protocol for the handover-receipt of relics between Greece and Bulgaria, at the Museum of Byzantine Culture.