Twenty two former Hope for Democracy officials issued a joint statement responding to public comments by party leader Maria Karystianou regarding recent internal departures.
The signatories, including Athanasios Avgerinos, Katerina Moutsatsou, and Vassilis Kokotsakis, rejected claims that members left due to personal ambition, lack of stamina, or a desire for official posts. They described their departure as a stance of principle based on shared organizational concerns.
In their statement, the former members said they entered the movement to support a citizen initiative built from the bottom up. They aimed to bring demands for truth, justice, and accountability into public life while countering political corruption.
Allegations of centralized control
The former officials stated that authority within Hope for Democracy became concentrated in a small group of individuals who lacked institutional and democratic legitimacy. They reported that collective procedures, transparency, and formal structures were replaced by a decision making model driven by internal cliques, mechanisms, and behind the scenes rivalries.
The group emphasized that their objections represented a legitimate political and organizational disagreement rather than a personal grievance. They stated that differing opinions should not be treated as hostile acts, nor should criticism be viewed as treason or undermining the organization.
According to the statement, political projects advocating social justice must weigh both legal and ethical dimensions in their decisions. The signatories noted that rules governing organ formation, official selection, candidate evaluation, and decision making must be clear, objective, and transparently institutionalized before asking citizens for trust.
Disagreements over character and principles
Addressing comments that leaving reflected poorly on personal character, the former members asserted that choosing to walk away showed consistency. They stated that remaining in a movement merely to preserve positions or titles would indicate a lack of principle.
The signatories noted that most departing members possessed established professional careers, public recognition, and political experience before joining the movement. They added that seeing the project adopt features it promised to leave behind caused significant disappointment.
The group declared that they were not seeking personal conflict with Karystianou or other members. They explained that their departure followed a failure to receive clear answers regarding decision making authority, oversight, grassroots participation, transparency, and selection criteria.
Specific questions submitted to leadership
Before departing, the former officials put forward seven specific questions concerning internal party governance. They asked who holds decision making power, what exact procedures are followed, and who exercises control over leadership actions.
The group also questioned how grassroots members participate in practice, how transparency is guaranteed, and what objective criteria guide the selection of candidates. Finally, they asked about the actual role of citizens within a movement established in their name.
Because necessary answers were not provided, the members chose to leave the specific organizational structure. They stated that their departure did not mean abandoning values of transparency, social justice, or public accountability, which belong to society rather than any single leader or party mechanism.
Signatories to the joint statement
The former members concluded that democracy does not fear individuals who leave because they refuse to remain silent. They requested to be judged solely on their actual statements, actions, and reasons for departing.
The joint statement was signed by 22 former movement officials. The signatories listed are Vassileios Kokotsakis, Athanasios Avgerinos, Nikos Zarkadoulas, Angeliki Lenakaki, Athanasios Tzouganatos, Takis Kotsiorgios, and Achilleas Rompogiannakis.
The remaining signatories are Ilias Michalas, Katerina Sotirakou, Konstantinos Vamvakas, Manolis Sofoulis, Stavros Stavroulakis, Giannis Fronimakis, Katerina Moutsatsou, Iason Mpageris, Ioannis Lainas, Panagiota Kapou, Giannis Grigoriou, Iro Vourdoumpa, Panagiotis Pantelakis, Dimitris Klothakis, and Maria Paizaki.
