Greek Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis said he expects Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to win the next general election, describing New Democracy as a party that expresses national unity and pointing to the party's founding declaration as proof that its outlook remains relevant today.
Pierrakakis made the comments in an interview in which he was asked whether his framing carried echoes of Constantinos Karamanlis, the party's founder. He replied that Karamanlis's 1974 founding declaration for New Democracy still holds extremely important positions, arguing that it fully applies to him because it holds that New Democracy transcends what he called the misleading labels of Left, Right and Centre.
He said that was what Karamanlis was saying in 1974, and that it applied even more in 2026, adding that those who invest in such divisions are talking to the past and to division.
Response on Antonis Samaras
Asked whether the remark was also aimed at Antonis Samaras, a former prime minister and former New Democracy leader, Pierrakakis said the party respects the past but that governing must be oriented toward the future. He said they respect the past but govern for the future, describing two categories of political parties: those that look in the mirror and those that look at the horizon. He said the political forces that manage to unite large social majorities are the ones that choose the second path.
"People are not interested in personal disputes"
Pierrakakis said ordinary citizens are not interested in personal grievances, strategies or political rivalries, but in solutions to everyday problems. He said people care about how society is supported, what mechanisms exist to reinforce it, and what investments are being made for children's futures. He said that in the past, some passed the bill on to children, while his government is investing in children's future instead.
"Mitsotakis will win the next election"
Turning to the next election and to whether there is a sense of political fatigue after eight years of New Democracy in power, Pierrakakis said history shows that consecutive election victories for the same party are rare. He said that only a handful of times in the 20th century did a single party manage three consecutive election wins and terms in office, citing the Greek Rally and its successor ERE, and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, known as PASOK, between 1993 and 2004.
He said it had never happened before with the same prime minister, adding that Mitsotakis would not merely seek a third term but that his own prediction was that Mitsotakis would win it.
A tribute to Giorgos Mazonakis
Pierrakakis also addressed the recent death of Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis, naming the song "Ksimeronei Pali" (Dawn Breaks Again) as his favourite. He described Mazonakis as a towering figure who marked an entire generation.
He said Mazonakis spoke to a whole generation, including his own and to him personally, adding that the singer was very different, which was exactly what made him unique.
