Officially, the government is downplaying the presence of two, and possibly three, new rivals at the next general election. Unofficially, it spends quite a lot of time discussing their impact and gaming scenarios as to how their presence will change the electoral calculus.
Last week, Maria Karystianou, known as the mother of one of the victims of a deadly rail disaster, announced her new political party, Hope for Democracy. Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras is set to announce his formation Tuesday. And another former prime minister, Antonis Samaras, has well-advanced plans, Kathimerini understands, with the only question concerning the timing of his announcement. Will it be just before the election, as he prefers, or even this week, as some close aides recommend?
The government has been conducting private polls gaming the new electoral landscape and the initial conclusion is that changes could be afoot. Published surveys already show the near-impossibility of the next election winner, almost certainly New Democracy, achieving a parliamentary majority, the way it did in 2023. The new parties’ presence will make that task more difficult and, with the likelihood of a coalition government being slim, a second election looks inevitable and likely not the end of the road, either.
