In a sharp and emotionally charged intervention, Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Markopoulos issued a direct appeal to former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras — not against Samaras himself, but against the circle of advisors urging him to launch a new political party. Speaking on ERT News, Markopoulos urged Samaras to reconsider, warning that such a move would damage his legacy and misrepresent his historic role in Greek politics.
A Call Rooted in Respect and Loyalty
Markopoulos began by expressing deep personal and political admiration for Samaras, calling him “a major figure not only in politics but in my broader life.” He praised Samaras’s tenure as prime minister during Greece’s most turbulent years, highlighting his pivotal role in the coalition government with PASOK and DIMAR. “He saved Greece,” Markopoulos said, “keeping the country in the eurozone at great personal cost.”
Criticism Directed at Samaras’s Inner Circle
Yet Markopoulos was unequivocally critical of those advising Samaras to found a new party. He described them as “beneath the occasion,” accusing them of operating with a provincial, almost parochial mindset — sarcastically noting that Samaras’s inner circle “thinks it’s managing the president of a Messinian sports club.”
He lamented what he sees as a troubling reversal: figures who once left New Democracy (ND) and publicly accused Samaras — including during the Novartis scandal — are now appearing alongside him, offering political counsel. “It’s unacceptable,” Markopoulos stressed, “that people who attacked him relentlessly, even questioning his integrity on front pages, are now his interlocutors — while we, who stood by him fiercely, continue to face backlash for doing so.”
A Plea for Reflection
Markopoulos framed his intervention not as opposition, but as a respectful plea. “We tell him calmly: ‘Antonis Samaras, don’t make this mistake.’ It’s wrong for his extraordinary personal history. Personally, I believe it would tarnish the legacy of a leader who fought major battles for ND and for Greece’s place in Europe.”
He concluded with pointed criticism of the current rationale behind the proposed party, dismissing claims that ND no longer pursues patriotic politics. “Have their justifications vanished?” he asked. “Is it really plausible to claim that ND is no longer a patriotic force?”