Thanasis Avgerinos, the dismissed press spokesman for Hope for Democracy, declared that the party is dying following his removal by leader Maria Karystianou. Avgerinos published a brief social media post on August 5, 2026, shortly after his dismissal and shortly after issuing a joint statement alongside 21 other former party officials.
Avgerinos stated that it was time for everyone to quietly and simply discuss what went wrong, what did not go well, and what should have been done differently. He questioned why almost the entire Tempi Movement remained outside Hope for Democracy, adding that while hope dies last, it dies nevertheless.
The social media update included a link to a collective statement signed by 22 former members who rejected claims that their departure stemmed from personal ambitions, personal agendas, or a lack of endurance. The signatories insisted that their resignation was a stance of principle taken after refusing to compromise on the founding values of the initiative.
Allegations of Centralized Decision Making
In their detailed document, the 22 former officials said they felt compelled to respond collectively to recent public statements made by Karystianou regarding the departures. They stated that they knew why they joined the initiative and why they left, denying that their resignation was caused by a lack of assigned posts or leadership seats.
The signatories explained that they had believed in the idea of a genuine citizens' movement built from the bottom up. They intended to bring to public life the authentic demand of hundreds of thousands of citizens for truth, justice, and accountability, in contrast to the decay of the political system.
They noted that they initially expected citizens to have a meaningful say in forming party bodies, procedures, and decisions. However, they observed practices that concentrated decision-making authority within a limited circle of individuals who lacked institutional and democratic legitimacy.
Rejection of Party Leadership Practices
The former officials criticized the party structure for operating through internal courtiers, mechanisms, and behind-the-scenes rivalries rather than collective procedures and transparency. They maintained that expressing a different opinion in a democratic initiative must not be treated as a hostile act.
The group asserted that criticism is not treason, disagreement is not undermining, and leaving a party is not a lack of character. They stated that anyone who chooses to leave because they cannot coexist with a wrong political reality does not owe an apology for maintaining their dignity.
They stressed that a political project claiming to express social justice must weigh the moral dimension of its choices both collectively and personally, rather than relying solely on technical legality.
Demands for Transparency and Clear Rules
According to the statement, a movement asking for public trust must operate under rules that are clear and known to everyone. The signatories stated that establishing charter bodies, electing individuals, evaluating candidates, and making decisions must follow clear, objective, and democratic criteria.
They argued that democracy does not begin after staffing is completed, but starts with the process by which a democratic body is staffed. They expressed concern over the logic suggesting that anyone who leaves has abandoned the core principles of the movement.
The signatories clarified that they did not abandon their principles, but left because those principles were no longer being served. They added that departure demonstrates character, showing whether a person remains in a group merely to keep a position or leaves when actions no longer match principles.
Unanswered Questions and Future Directions
The 22 former officials pointed out that most of them had established professional backgrounds, public visibility, and political presence prior to joining the initiative. They stated that because they believed in the initial vision, it was more painful to watch it adopt the exact characteristics it promised to leave behind.
They emphasized that they do not seek personal conflict with Karystianou or anyone else, but demand answers to fundamental questions. They asked who decides, by what procedure decisions are made, who controls whom, how the party base truly participates, how transparency is guaranteed, what objective criteria govern candidate selection, and what real position citizens hold inside a movement created in their name.
Because they received no answers to these questions, the members chose to depart. They declared that they parted ways with a specific organizational model rather than the principles of social justice, transparency, and accountability, which belong to society rather than any individual or party mechanism.
Signatories of the Joint Declaration
The joint statement was signed by 22 former party officials, including Vassilios Kokotsakis, Athanasios Avgerinos, Nikos Zarkadoulas, Angeliki Lenakaki, Athanasios Tzouganatos, and Takis Kotsiorgios.
Other signatories include Achilleas Robogiannakis, Ilias Michalas, Katerina Sotirakou, Konstantinos Vamvakas, Manolis Sofoulis, and Stavros Stavroulakis.
The remaining signatories listed in the document are Giannis Fronimakis, Katerina Moutsatsou, Iason Bageris, Ioannis Lainas, Panagiota Kapou, Giannis Grigoroiu, Iro Vourdoumpa, Panagiotis Pantelakis, Dimitris Klothakis, and Maria Paizaki.
