Defense Minister Nikos Dendias warned Saturday that declining polling numbers for the ruling New Democracy party should be treated as a “wake-up call,” urging internal renewal and closer engagement with voters ahead of the next national election.
Speaking at the party’s congress in Athens, Dendias said the 2023 election victory was “not a blank check” but a mandate for reform and delivery, acknowledging that the government had not met expectations in all areas.
He said New Democracy’s current polling performance falls well below its results in the 2019 and 2023 elections under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, adding that the party must avoid complacency despite what he described as a weak opposition.
Dendias also cited the party’s poor performance in the European Parliament elections, saying it had lost more than half its vote compared with 2023.
He urged lawmakers and party officials to remain closely connected to society, warning against what he called “governmental institutionalization” and political isolation.
