Former Greek Minister of Defense Panos Panagiotopoulos made one of the most specific statements in recent months about the possible political return of Antonis Samaras: according to him, the former prime minister is already “organizationally ready”, has people around him and has a program.
Panagiotopoulos spoke about the issue on October 1 on OPEN TV’s “Καθαρές Κουβέντες” program. The channel itself published the relevant part of the interview as a separate video under the title: “One person can fill the vacuum – and that is Samaras.”
“Organizationally, he is ready”
Presenter Alexandra Hadzigeorgiou raised a question that has been appearing with increasing frequency in Greek politics in recent months: if a new political project is indeed being prepared around Samaras, why has the former prime minister still not taken the next step?
Panagiotopoulos’ answer was clear:
“I think he will. Organizationally, he is ready.”
According to the former minister, Samaras is both a strategist and a tactician and is deliberately keeping the timing of any announcement to himself.
“He is keeping this moment to himself as a trump card, as a secret. Organizationally, Samaras is ready. He will choose the timing of the announcement himself.”
It is important to emphasize that Antonis Samaras himself has not yet officially announced the creation of a new party. Panagiotopoulos’ remarks should therefore be regarded as the assessment of someone familiar with the former prime minister’s political circle, rather than as an official announcement of a new political formation.
“It is not just people. There is also a program”
Host Spyros Haritatos asked whether organizational readiness meant that there were already people capable of taking up key government posts.
Panagiotopoulos went even further:
“It is not just about personnel. There is also a program.”
He listed the areas that, according to him, are part of Samaras’ political agenda: the cost of living, tackling profiteering and cartels, citizens’ everyday problems, public transport, education, the demographic crisis and support for the Greek family.
Panagiotopoulos also referred separately to repealing the law that allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
As an example of demographic priorities, he compared support for families with state subsidies for electric cars:
“We have reached the point where for a third child you receive — or may not even receive — one thousand euros, not even one thousand, while for an electric car the subsidy is more than nine thousand. Is this possible in Greece?
Turkey and foreign policy
A significant part of the discussion focused on national issues and Greek-Turkish relations.
Panagiotopoulos said that, in his view, developments have vindicated Samaras’ position in this area. As an example, he cited the dispute over the electricity interconnection project in the Eastern Mediterranean and Ankara’s position on the laying of the cable.
The former minister also referred to Greece’s foreign policy relationships during the Samaras government.
According to him, Greece at the time maintained close relations simultaneously with the United States, Israel, Egypt, Arab states and Russia.
Panagiotopoulos recalled that, as Minister of Defense, he visited Moscow three times and arranged for representatives of Rosoboronexport to visit Athens in order to address the issue of spare parts for Russian weapons systems previously purchased by Greece. In the interview, he also stated that some of those weapons were later sent to Ukraine.
“Only Samaras can fill this vacuum”
The most politically pointed part of the interview concerned Samaras’ ability to alter the current balance of power.
Panagiotopoulos described the former prime minister as a potential “catalyst” who, in his view, could change the picture currently reflected in opinion polls and help create a new political pole.
“It would be good if this vacuum could be filled by a hundred candidates for prime minister. They cannot do it. At this moment, only one person can – Mr. Samaras.”
He also described Samaras as a politician capable of negotiating with leaders such as the President of Turkey or the President of the United States in the event of an international crisis. This is Panagiotopoulos’ own political assessment, not an established fact regarding voter support for a possible new political project led by Samaras.
New Democracy MPs want to contact Samaras
Toward the end of the interview, Panagiotopoulos made another noteworthy statement.
According to him, because of the dissatisfaction MPs are encountering in their constituencies, “a large number” of current New Democracy MPs want to get in touch with Samaras.
At the same time, he specifically clarified that this does not mean that MPs are preparing to switch sides, nor does it imply any immediate threat to the stability of the government.
Nevertheless, the fact that such a statement was made suggests that discussion of a possible independent political project by the former prime minister now concerns not only Samaras himself and his former associates, but also the future of Greece’s broader center-right political space.
The party has not yet been announced
Discussion about the preparation of a new political formation has been continuing for several months. In September, Greek media reported on preparations involving offices, the formation of teams and possible participants.
However, the fundamental point remains unchanged: Samaras himself has not announced the creation of a new party, its name, a founding declaration or a launch date.
Panagiotopoulos’ remarks are therefore particularly noteworthy because, for the first time, they describe so directly the degree of readiness that, in his assessment, the project has already reached:
organizational structure – ready; people – in place; program – in place; the timing of any announcement remains unknown.
If the former minister’s assessment reflects the actual state of affairs, the question is gradually shifting from “Will Samaras create a new party?” to “When, and in what form, will he decide to announce his next move?”.
Source and video: OPEN – “Π. Παναγιωτόπουλος: Ένας μπορεί να καλύψει το κενό και αυτός είναι ο “Σαμαράς”.
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