[Illustration by Filippos Avramidis]
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the rest of the ruling New Democracy leadership want the 16th party congress to send a message of unity and readiness for the upcoming electoral campaign, muting talk of dissent and MP grumbling.
The four-day congress, which takes place at a convention center close to the Athens airport, begins Friday, May 15, and ends Sunday.
Mitsotakis is expected to focus in his keynote speech on what the conservative government intends to do, with a 2030 horizon, rather than recapitulate its policies of the past seven years.
New Democracy, well ahead in all opinion polls, will likely come first in the next election, but is far from assured of a parliamentary majority. The most likely outcome is at least a second successive election, if not more, with the prospect of a coalition government appearing dim at the moment for lack of willing partners.
