New Democracy

Christos Staikouras, a former alternate economy minister under ND PM Antonis Samaras, will be Greece’s new finance minister in the cabinet of incoming PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which was announced late this afternoon, less than 24 hours afte Mitsotakis’ landslide victory, and veteran connservative MP Nilos Dendias will be Greece’s new foreign minister. The names of […]

The analysis stresses the challenges Mitsotakis has and will face in aligning old-style conservative ND with his modern, liberal agenda.

Yesterday’s elections brought to a close a cycle of governance during which shilly-shallying on a series of crucial decisions and reforms was the order of the day.

Mitsotakis’ chief political strategist Takis Theodorikakos, who is to a large extent credited with ND’s electoral triumph, is said to be slated as the next interior minister.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he had a clear mandate for change, pledging more investments and fewer taxes.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis is scheduled to be sworn in as Prime Minister by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion at 1pm tomorrow, 8 July.

In the 26 May European Parliament elections New Democracy garnered 27.2 percent of the vote in that age bracket compared to SYRIZA’s 25.3 percent.

Although the international economic recovery has a way to go, the extension of a cycle of low interest rates creates important opportunities for Greece.

Centre-left Movement for Change leader rips into PM even as he dons the mantle of the leader of the country's 'progressive front'.

“The first thing that is necessary for economic growth to be boosted is a stable government, a strong majority in the next parliament,” Mitsotakis told Reuters

Citizens cannot endure any more experiments and they seek liberation from the shackles of the long and relentless crisis.

The only thing that Mitsotakis and PM Alexis Tsipras admit that they have in common is the conviction that they must attract voting groups from scratch and that every vote counts.

The profile raises questions about whether Greece’s creditors and European partners will be persuaded of the basic tenet of New Democracy’s platform, that it can bring the four percent growth rate it says will pay for deep tax cuts.

Tsipras’ central strategy is to deconstruct New Democracy’s main campaign narrative, that by lowering taxes one can spur a surge of investment that will create an economic take-off and create hundreds of thousands of well-paid new jobs.

“If for any reason a government cannot be formed after the 7 July election, then the country will ineluctably again head to elections in mid-August. Citizens should understand well what it means not to have a strong mandate on the night of 7 July,” Mitsotakis declared.

Tsipras had steadfastly demanded a second, one-on-one debate with Mitsotakis, as their parties are the only ones with a chance of forming a government, which New Democracy firmly rejected.

If Elliniki Lysi does not make it into parliament, New Democracy will have a six-seat majority (156 seats), but if it does ND only gets a two-seat majority (152 seats).

Despite the efforts to persuade voters that the result of European elections is reversible (ND won by a 9.3 percentage point margin), a defeatist climate is looming over the government camp.

All that has been revealed in the last few days about unprecedented machinations confirmed press suspicions of an effort to manipulate the judiciary to serve the government’s ends.

Though the initial current of support for New Democracy may have come from the deep public consternation with SYRIZA’s broken promises and over-taxation, it now appears to be taking on the character of a positive vote for ND.