Stavros Papantoniou

Ruling New Democracy is intensifying its message that the upcoming election will be decisive on the first Sunday of voting, amid concerns that some dissatisfied supporters could stay home or back alternative political forces.

In the runup to the next national election, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insists will take place sometime during Spring 2027, the ruling New Democracy party is constantly commissioning private opinion surveys, increasingly localized, down to constituency level.

Belgian authorities have issued a European Arrest Warrant for Dimitris Avramopoulos, a former European commissioner and current Greek New Democracy lawmaker, in connection with the Qatargate corruption investigation.

Ruling New Democracy is moving to address what party officials describe as political weak spots ahead of the next national election, while publicly maintaining that voting will take place in 2027.

Greece could face a prolonged period of political uncertainty after the next national election if no party secures a parliamentary majority and coalition talks fail, according to current polling trends and party positions.

Officials in the ruling New Democracy party view the tragic death of 70-year-old Vaya Nestora, mother of former party parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora, in an arson attack in Thessaloniki early Wednesday, as an inflection point.

The three major political parties have different goals and strategies for the next national election. The ruling conservative New Democracy is, barring a shocking upset, certain of first place and while it will likely not attain a result allowing it to clinch a parliamentary majority – it would need at least 37% of the vote – it wants to attain at least 30%, with the hope it will attract more voters in an all but certain second election.

Tensions between former prime minister Antonis Samaras and the government appeared to move into a sharper phase after a series of public exchanges culminated in a formal intervention on Monday over the Predator surveillance case.

The conservative government has intensified its criticism of former prime minister and leader of the newly formed Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), Alexis Tsipras, accusing him of undermining his claims to political integrity as both sides sharpen their rhetoric amid shifting political dynamics.

A confrontation between former prime minister Antonis Samaras and the government has intensified over the past week, with both sides preparing for a prolonged political battle.