The New Democracy (ND) party kicks off its 16th congress on 21 May — a pivotal moment in its pre-election campaign. Prime Minister and ND President Kyriakos Mitsotakis will deliver the opening address at 7 p.m. before some 4,000 delegates. The central challenge facing the party is unity: morale is low, and internal divisions threaten cohesion ahead of what ND describes as its toughest electoral test yet — a bid for an unprecedented third consecutive national election victory.
Unity as the Stated Goal — But Obstacles Mount
ND aims for outright parliamentary majority — but that ambition faces headwinds: sharp political polarization, lingering fallout from the OPEKEPE scandal, allegations of illegal wiretapping, rising living costs, and growing public disillusionment with the party’s inward focus.
Karamanlis and Samaras Appear Only in Video
Former Prime Ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras will not attend in person. Instead, both will appear only in a historical video montage screened during the congress. Karamanlis was in Xanthi on Thursday evening attending a dinner hosted by the Hellenic-Chinese Economic Chamber (SEKE) in honor of Chinese Ambassador Fang Qiu. There, he highlighted his government’s strategic decision to open the Port of Piraeus to COSCO — positioning it as China’s gateway to Europe — while also criticizing the European Union’s inability to formulate a coherent foreign policy.
A Widening Psychological Divide
Karamanlis has publicly criticized nearly every major policy pillar of Mitsotakis’s government — aligning closely with Samaras’s stance. He was invited to the congress not by Mitsotakis himself, but by former senior minister and head of the organizing committee Theodoros Roussopoulos — breaking with past precedent. His refusal to attend was widely expected. It is evident he feels politically and psychologically estranged from today’s ND; having stepped back from active politics, he chooses how and when to engage.
Sampras Moves Toward a New Political Project
Antonis Samaras has been formally sidelined by Mitsotakis following his fierce public criticism of key government decisions. He has begun laying groundwork for a new political initiative. Momentum is building: earlier this month, over 100 academics and public figures signed an open letter urging Karamanlis and Samaras — especially Samaras, given Karamanlis’s distance from politics — to step forward, arguing the status quo is no longer tenable.
On the eve of the congress, ten former ND officials closely associated with Samaras issued a joint statement calling for ‘a new patriotic, democratic, and socially grounded political expression emerging from society itself.’
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis responded dismissively, advising them to leave ‘the soul of the party’ out of their calculations — noting that all ten have long since drifted away from ND, flirted with or joined other parties, and launched failed political ventures.
More Defections Follow
Just days before the congress, MP Ioanna Gelastathis resigned from ND, citing political intrigue, closed-door meetings, and coercive tactics. Though she had visited the Maximos Mansion, her relationship with the leadership deteriorated — signaling further fragmentation within the ruling party.