The image of a united New Democracy at the annual memorial service held on Tuesday for party founder Konstantinos Karamanlis was deceptive, as the divide between party leader Antonis Samaras and his challengers widens.
The New Democracy leader and his supporters have focused their efforts on the European front, while denouncing his critics, whose actions indirectly support the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government. In his recent trip to Strasbourg, where he addressed the European Peoples’ Party Assembly, Antonis Samaras argued that the pro-Europe forces will do everything to keep Greece in Europe and the Eurozone.
Mr. Samaras has so far ignored the moves of New Democracy’s “interparty opposition”, despite major meetings between prominent critics and party members over the past few days. With rumors of an immanent deal between the government and the creditors and in light of the recent interview of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipas, Mr. Samaras is expected to face fierce opposition from within his party.
Many prominent New Democracy officers however are not convinced with Mr. Samaras’ overall strategy and plans and have begun considering their options and possible changes that would help the party recover from the major electoral defeat it suffered in January. Vangelis Meimarakis, Nikos Dendias, Dora Bakoyanni and Marietta Giannakou are amongst the more vocal critics, with many party officers also stressing the need for a party conference.
