Samaras is preparing a comeback: the threat to Mitsotakis is growing

Antonis Samarasaccording to Greek media, is getting closer to creating a new party, which could seriously hit New Democracy.

Antonis Samarasformer Prime Minister of Greece and former Chairman (ΝΔ), New Democracyis increasingly appearing in the Greek media as a politician preparing a comeback no longer within the ruling party, but at the head of his own political project.

Talk about a new party Antonis Samaras V Athens noticeably intensified after recent performances by old cadres ΝΔ and criticism of the government’s course Kyriakos Mitsotakis. According to in.grthe scenario of creating the Samaras party is getting closer and closer after a letter from ten former ministers and cadres of the right camp, who stated that “the paraταξη has lost its soul” and needs a new patriotic, democratic and social political form.

A similar picture is described by To Vima: Rumors have intensified in political and journalistic circles that Samaras moving towards final solutions. However, there is no official announcement about the creation of the party yet. And here, as always, the favorite Greek political gymnastics begins: everyone is discussing everything, no one has announced anything, but everyone is already nervous.

Why is this dangerous for New Democracy?

The main problem for ΝΔ is that a possible party Samaras will compete not for a random protest electorate, but for the ruling party’s own right-wing and patriotic base. These are the voters who believe that when Mitsotakis New Democracy has shifted too much towards the center, technocratic liberalism and policies that they perceive as a break from the traditional right-wing core.

How reminiscent Associated Press, Samaras was expelled from the parliamentary group ΝΔ in November 2024, after harsh criticism of the government, primarily on foreign policy issues, negotiations with Turkey and general classroom course Mitsotakis. Reuters then wrote that the government considered his position an expression of complete disagreement with the current policy.

That’s why the potential return Samaras in the form of a separate batch is perceived in Megaro Maximou as a much more dangerous scenario than the growth of the usual opposition. Leftists, centrists or protest projects are taking votes from different sides. Samaras is capable of cutting off precisely that part of the electorate that ΝΔ considers it its historical property. And this is no longer the opposition behind the fence, but a fire in the pantry.

Scenario 5–8% and hit the bonus

According to version Pronewsthose surrounded by the former prime minister are counting on what the new project can get from 5% to 8% votes, and mainly at the expense of voters New Democracy. These estimates remain political forecasts for now, not the results of official announcements or sustained public polls, but they explain the anxiety within the ruling party.

If such a project does appear and gain a foothold above the entry barrier, it could complicate ΝΔ achieving the level necessary for a confident bonus of seats and the formation of a stable majority. With the ruling party already facing pressure from high prices, the housing crisis, scandals and fatigue on the part of society, even a few percentage points on the right could prove painful.

Formally Kyriakos Mitsotakis continues to talk about elections in 2027. However, in Greek politics, talk of early elections lasts longer than some government programs. Various scenarios are being discussed in the media – from the fall of 2026 to the first half of 2027. Against this background, the Samaras factor becomes not just an intrigue, but part of calculations about the timing of elections and the configuration of the right field.

The role of Karamanlis

A separate issue is the position of the former prime minister Kostas Karamanlis. Greek media are increasingly writing about the line Samaras–Karamanlis as symbolic pressure on the current leadership ΝΔ. To Vima speaks of an “open line” between the two former prime ministers, and in.gr writes about the ready-made mechanism around Samaras and the distance of Karamanlis from Mitsotakis.

However, caution is needed here. Some publications directly state that Karamanlis can support efforts Samarasbut other sources including News247emphasize that Karamanlis himself most likely will not openly support the movement against ΝΔalthough the participation of Karamanlist cadres in such a project raises concerns among the government.

In other words, we are not yet talking about a formal alliance of two former prime ministers against Mitsotakisbut about the political climate, in which both symbolize the dissatisfaction of the old right camp with the current course of the party. For voters who feel “right” rather than centrist, this matters. Symbols in politics are sometimes worth more than programs, especially when no one reads the programs anyway.

Who won’t Samaras go with?

According to Greek publications, a possible project Samaras does not imply an immediate alliance with Aphroditi Latinopoulou, Maria Karistianu or other figures of the protest field. The logic of the former prime minister, if reports are to be believed, is to create an independent right-wing political center that can speak on behalf of the traditional, patriotic and disaffected core ΝΔ.

This is an important difference. Project Karystianapossible return Alexis Tsiprasfigures to the right ΝΔ and personal project Samaras work with different audiences. But it is Samaras who is dangerous for Mitsotakis in that he is capable of taking votes not from the periphery, but from within the historical base of the ruling party.

In the future, talk about coalitions or parliamentary agreements after the elections cannot be ruled out. But before the elections, it is more profitable for the former prime minister to appear as an independent political force, and not as an addition to existing projects. In Greek politics, where personal ambition is often stronger than party charters, this is almost a law of nature.

Why Mitsotakis is vulnerable

The Samaras scenario becomes dangerous right now because New Democracy enters the pre-election period not in the best shape. High prices, the housing crisis, scandals, middle-class fatigue, the question of trust in institutions and discontent within the right camp create several fronts for the government at once.

Still Mitsotakis won due to the image of controllability, Europeanness, stability and the lack of a strong alternative. But if a recognizable former prime minister appears on the right, capable of speaking the language of traditional ΝΔsome voters will have a safe, in their eyes, way to punish the government without joining the left or radical opposition.

This is what makes a project possible Samaras so painful. He doesn’t have to win. He only needs to take a few percent to change the arithmetic of the next parliament. Politics is sometimes decided not by who comes first, but by who prevents the first one from gaining a majority. Charmingly cynical mechanics, but honest.

Editorial comment

Return Antonis Samaras has not yet been officially announced as a separate political project, but the very intensity of rumors already shows the problem New Democracy. Dissatisfaction with the course has accumulated within the right camp Kyriakos Mitsotakisand if it receives a political form, the blow will fall precisely on the electoral base of the ruling party.

For Megaro Maximo Samaras’s danger is not that he will become the next prime minister. The danger is that he can take away ΝΔ a few decisive percentages and break the expectation of a comfortable majority. In Greek politics, this is sometimes more important than loud slogans: one small right-wing project can make the large ruling party much less confident in its own future.

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