After New Democracy’s two Vice Presidents – Dimitris Avramopoulos and Stavros Dimas – resigned from their posts, the party leader Antonis Samaras is not in a rush to replace them, as he is considering his options and potential alliances to overcome the current crisis.
Despite the fierce criticism by prominent party members who have been rather vocal about the need for a leadership change, such as Dora Bakoyanni, Nikos Dendias and Evripidis Stylianidis, Mr. Samaras and his close allies believe that the party has overcome the hurdle and that the leadership matter has closed.
In order to further entrench his position in the party, Mr. Samaras is considering offering prominent positions to some of the younger and newer party members. While the party leader has repeated that he is not bothered at present with appointing new VPs, Kyriakos Mitsotakis – brother of Dora Bakoyanni – has been considered for such a role.
The former Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni has also been considered for the position of secretary of Political Planning, while former basketball player Vasilis Kikilias – who served as Minister of Public Order in the previous government – has been tipped for a similar post in the party.
Meanwhile, members of the party’s “internal opposition”, such as Mr. Dendias, Evangelos Antonaros and Marietta Giannakou, have been escalating their behind-the-scenes actions in order to prepare for an intervention. Even younger party officers, such as Yannis Economou, Vasilis Tokakis and Stathis Stathopoulos, are planning on initiating a political debate within the party. Many fear that under Antonis Samaras the party is losing supporters, which could jeopardize New Democracy’s influence and role as the main opposition.
