This year’s anniversary of ND’s 52 years of existence, which will be celebrated this afternoon at the old OSY depot, is the last birthday of the governing party before the next national elections and, by definition, takes on special significance at a critical juncture.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who will be the main speaker at the event, is called upon to make use of the timing to send a message of unity and rallying to the interior of the party, to try to close “wounds” and to call on all tendencies and all officials to set aside disagreements and personal bitterness in the face of the difficult battle that is coming.
The aim is for a party that will appear as cohesive as possible at the starting point of the road to the ballot boxes, increasing the chances of success.
With the absence, once again, of the two former prime ministers, Antonis Samaras -who is charting his own new, independent course- and Kostas Karamanlis, the focus of Mr. Mitsotakis’s speech is also expected to be the relationship of today’s ND with its founding legacy.
He is expected to argue that the party, despite its changes and adaptations to the demands of each era, remains faithful to the basic principles and values set by Konstantinos Karamanlis in 1974.
He himself had already foreshadowed this message on the occasion of the October 4 anniversary. “We are proud of our ideas, our values and our course,” he noted, referring to the founding declaration and to the founder’s call for the party to serve the nation “beyond and above the old, misleading labels of the left, the right and the center.”
At the same time, the prime minister is expected to bring back to the forefront the political dilemmas of the next ballot, while he will recall the main points of the government’s work, attempting to connect the party’s historical course with its current political presence.
Double message
In this sense, the message of today’s event is twofold: on the one hand, the highlighting of New Democracy’s historical continuity and, on the other, the effort for there to be a new starting point ahead of the electoral battle. The aim for the leadership is for the party to appear as rallied as possible, with limited internal διαφοροποιήσεις and a clear political target.
It is no coincidence that the government spokesperson as well, Pavlos Marinakis, placed particular emphasis on the people who have formed the party over time. “First and foremost, at an event for ND we go for all those who learned to offer without ever asking for anything,” he stressed.
The event will take place with a digital journey through the party’s 52 years and, by extension, through the 52 years of the Metapolitefsi.
In the venue, posters from ND, ONNED and DAP-NDFK election campaigns, historic front pages of newspapers from electoral victories and important milestones of the party, as well as photographs from ND’s course, will be digitally displayed. Of particular interest is the fact that the exhibition will also include photographs from the personal archives of party members.
The program also includes interactive games, while in a specially designed booth visitors will be able, through the use of technology, to be “transported” to a party election rally.
At the center of the event there will be a wall with the question “New Democracy for me means…”, giving those present the opportunity to record their own answer. This material is then expected to be transferred to the party’s headquarters in Moschato.