Samaras to Mitsotakis about the funeral of the former King Constantine: “Only authoritarian regimes “erase” their past”

Former Prime Minister Adonis Samaras, speaking of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to bury former King Constantine as a private individual, said that “only authoritarian regimes hush up their past.”

Antonis Samaras wrote in his twitter post: “The former king of Greece, Constantine, has passed away. It is a sacred and long tradition of the Greeks to pay tribute before the death of a person. And this, in addition to being a Greek, is also a world cultural tradition.”

Ο τέως βασιλεύς της Ελλάδος Κωνσταντίνος έφυγε από τη ζωή.
Είναι ιερή –και μακροχρόνια παράδοση των ελλήν -ων- μπροστά στο θάτο ενός ανθρώπου να στέκονται με σεβασμό.
Κι αυτό πέρα ​​από Ελληνική είναι και παγκόσμια παράδοση Πολιτισμού.

— Σαμαράς Αντώνης (@samaras_antonis) January 12, 2023

In other words, he criticizes the Mitsotakis government for its choice to “politicize” the funeral of the former king and not honor the former head of state, as logically it should be done.

Full text of Antonis Samaras’ statement on the death of former King Constantine:

“The former king of Greece, Constantine, has died. It is sacred – and this is a long tradition of the Greeks – to pay tribute before the death of a person. And this, in addition to being Greek, is also a world cultural tradition. Especially when it comes to a person who, according to the constitution, was the country’s supreme ruler and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, as well as an Olympic champion who raised the Greek flag at the international level.

The Greeks, by holding a referendum, put an end to the institution of royal power back in 1974. Since then, the Greek people have decided so. History will judge him…

The death of the last king of Greece is not and cannot be political news. It does not close any “political chapter” – it has been closed for 49 years. She cannot and must not separate. Moreover, he accepted the results of the referendum, and this did not create any political problems. But the death of the former supreme leader, in addition to the human aspect, also has a symbolic meaning. It shows how the Greeks face their history.

Democracies do not hush up their past. Only authoritarian regimes have the habit of “erasing photographs” and entire pages… Democracy, as Mitterrand once said, is, after all, the management of symbols. And democracy in Greece is not in danger. In each such sad event, we pass a test of humanity and culture.

My sincere condolences to his family“.

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