They view them differently, but, for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his close advisers, both of the ruling New Democracy’s living former heads of government are, to a varying degree, headaches.
Relations with Antonis Samaras, ND leader from 2009-2015 and PM from 2012-2015, are irreparably broken and he appears quite likely to contest the next election with his own party.
But Kostas Karamanlis, party leader from 1997-2009 – the last five of these years also prime minister – is definitely not ready to quit the party his uncle, Konstantinos, founded in 1974, even though his relationship with Samaras is warmer than with Mitsotakis.
For Mitsotakis, the dilemma is whether to actively court Karamanlis or try to manage a difficult relationship with diminished expectations. He must also deal with the many Karamanlis supporters in the party.
NEW DEMOCRACY KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS ANTONIS SAMARAS KOSTAS KARAMANLIS
