Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expelled former Prime Minister and lawmaker Antonis Samaras from the ruling New Democracy party over his persistent criticism of government policies.It is the second time in 31 years, Samaras is being expelled from ND.
Reason for the expulsion on Saturday was an interview by the former PM who sharply criticized Mitsotakis’ handling of national issues with Turkey and his demand to fire Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis.
This is the latest of a series of the ex PM’s criticism to ND and “boycott” to Mitsotakis in the last few months.
Samaras, 73, a hard-line nationalist, has criticized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ approach to negotiations with Turkey, which he has likened to appeasement. He also strongly disapproved of government policy that he considered too “centrist” or “woke,” especially the decision to legislate in favor of same-sex marriage earlier this year, the AssociatePress noted in its report.
The government appeared particularly irked by a Samaras interview to be published in Sunday newspaper To Vima in which he called for the ouster of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis over his conduct of negotiations with Turkey.
“Mr. Samaras … did not just express opinions. He expressed his complete disagreement with all governing policies. Moreover, he adopted extreme lies (about the foreign minister) in an unbecoming and provocative manner,” said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis in announcing Samaras’ expulsion Saturday afternoon.
Following his expulsion, the former PM responded in a lengthy statement, saying, “Arrogance and loss of nerve explain Mitsotakis’ move. Cut off from the party base, he is leading a party that scarcely resembles New Democracy.”
It is not the first time that Samaras has clashed with a Mitsotakis. In 1992, then-Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, father of the current premier, dismissed Samaras as foreign minister over policy differences regarding the name dispute with what was then the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the present North Macedonia.
In 1993, Samaras and a few like-minded lawmakers left New Democracy, bringing down the Mitsotakis government and ushering in more than 10 years of socialist rule. Samaras founded his own short-lived party, Political Spring.
Samaras succeeded former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis as head of the conservatives in 2009, but left the post after an electoral defeat in 2015.
“This time, history will not repeat itself. The government majority continues its course, without Mr. Samaras,” said the government spokesman. “No one has the right to mess with the country’s stability in these troubled times,” said Marinakis.
The ruling conservatives have a slight majority in Parliament, with 155 lawmakers out of 300. However, Samaras has a number of supporters among that group with media to estimate them at 20 ND lawmakers.
In an effort to keep the cohesion inside the parliamentary group and the government, Mitsotakis sent a clear message to those thinking to abandon the ship.
In his interview, Samaras proposed former ND PM Kostas Karamanlis as the new president.
Should the conservative government be unable to elect its President candidate early elections are inevitable.
PS With 155 MP New Dem9ocracy appears to have suffered the SYRIZA-syndrome. If 5 MPs resign from the party, ND loses the absolute majority in Parliament. If 1 MP withdraws from SYRIZA, the party loses its “main opposition” status.
Several ND-affiliated journalists are calling on Samaras to return his seat to the party. Will he? I don’t think so.
