Kyriakos Mitsotakis cannot seem to catch a break, as the backstabbing among his ministers shows no sign of ending, against the backdrop of what now appears to be a definitive split with Antonis Samaras.
The latest disputes, sparked by the Routsi case and the revelations before Parliament’s Investigation Committee on OPEKEPE, have once again brought to the surface the cracks in government cohesion.
It’s a problem that starts within the Maximos Mansion itself, radiating outward to the rest of the cabinet.
On one side stands the well-known “trio” of Adonis Georgiadis, Giorgos Floridis, and Michalis Chrysochoidis, who form the communication vanguard of the Prime Minister’s office. On the other, there’s a group of ministers who remain invisible when the going gets tough, and a third faction that attacks both the leading trio and the Maximos Mansion through their dissenting positions.
The situation has reached a point where the Prime Minister has practically thrown up his hands in frustration. His attempt to restore order inside Maximos by bringing in Kostis Hatzidakis initially seemed to bear fruit, but as soon as the pressure mounted, the same structural weaknesses re-emerged.
It is no coincidence that, in the wake of the OPEKEPE affair and the involvement of Giorgos Mylonakis, a new wave of leaks about possible changes inside Maximos has begun.
Some individuals who have lost their influence within the Mansion have started leaking that “their man” might soon arrive to set things straight — referring to Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis. Yet at the mere mention of his name, the right-wing faction of New Democracy broke out in hives, believing that if yet another “moderniser” is added to Mitsotakis’s inner circle, it will only cause more harm at this stage.
They want control
The faction that feels sidelined, according to individuals who once had excellent relations with it before falling out over trivial issues, is now allegedly trying to undermine everyone currently close to Mitsotakis, with the goal of planting its own people back near the Prime Minister.
However, this ongoing “civil war” within Maximos and the government more broadly is blowing up any plans Mitsotakis may have had for restoring internal calm. The public tensions surrounding the Routsi case, which have split ministers into three factions, make it increasingly clear that sooner or later Mitsotakis will have to confront the problem head-on.
A cabinet reshuffle is one possible solution, yet in the current atmosphere, it could easily create more problems than it solves. For now, the Prime Minister appears troubled, fully aware that a reshuffle would likely produce more disgruntled ministers than satisfied ones as the country moves closer to the next election.
Mitsotakis’ “commitment”
Some of the Prime Minister’s closest associates are reminding him of his commitment to the parliamentary group: that he would carry out a reshuffle before the elections to restore balance and give certain ministers a fighting chance in the electoral battle.
Meanwhile, the party apparatus is desperately trying to contain the chaos among its ranks, as the mood ahead of the internal party elections is grim. Not only is the party base unwilling to engage, but local-level infighting has erupted as MPs jockey to control party organisations.
The message coming out of Piraeus Bank to encourage members to renew their membership and participate in the internal processes is: “We participate, we vote, we decide. The strength of New Democracy is you!”
Yet this strength is beginning to fade, casting dark clouds over the Maximos Mansion on multiple fronts.
Mitsotakis may find temporary relief in Alexis Tsipras’s return to the political scene; but even that respite won’t last, as the problems keep multiplying under the strain of re-election anxiety rather than diminishing.
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