Former party press spokesperson Thanassis Avgerinos has launched a fresh attack on party leader Maria Karystianou, accusing internal rivals of plotting for parliamentary seats as a bitter rift deepens within the Greek political movement Hope for Democracy.
Writing in a public social media post on August 6, 2026, Avgerinos warned that democratic processes inside the organization would soon wake up conspirators and ruin their ambitions to secure seats in parliament.
The comments followed an explosive interview given by Takis Kotsorgios, an activist fisherman from Missolonghi and one of 22 former party officials who recently resigned in protest against the movement's leadership.
In his interview, Kotsorgios reported that internal democracy within Hope for Democracy had completely broken down, claiming that democratic procedures were not being observed at any level of the party.
Kotsorgios disclosed that when local members attempted to hold internal elections to appoint a regional committee in Aetolia-Acarnania, party officials blocked the vote and insisted on personally selecting committee coordinators instead.
Explaining his decision to step down, Kotsorgios said that leadership displayed total intolerance and refusal toward democratic processes, adding that his conscience would no longer allow him to remain in such a working environment.
Allegations of central control and internal cliques
Avgerinos praised Kotsorgios's remarks, writing that the fisherman from Missolonghi had stated the party's internal crisis in the simplest and most understandable terms possible.
According to Avgerinos, members within the movement are divided into two opposing camps: those seeking true democracy, citizen power, and a free and dignified Greece, and those scheming behind closed doors for personal political gain.
The public clash comes after Karystianou officially removed Avgerinos from his role as party spokesperson, triggering a sharp exchange of mutual accusations and insinuations between the two figures.
Following his dismissal, Avgerinos published a social media statement on August 5 at 5:20 PM asserting that Hope for Democracy was dying and calling for an open discussion on what had gone wrong with the political project.
Avgerinos specifically questioned why almost the entire Tempi Movement had been excluded from Hope for Democracy, urging former colleagues to examine quietly and simply why the initiative had failed.
Mass resignations hit Hope for Democracy
Hours before Avgerinos published his individual post, a group of 22 former party cadres, including Avgerinos and former official Kokotsakis, issued a detailed joint statement on August 5 at 2:51 PM announcing their collective resignation.
In their joint declaration, the 22 signatories rejected allegations that they had departed due to personal ambition or a lack of stamina, maintaining that their departure represented a fundamental matter of principle.
The former officials denounced what they described as centralized decision-making, an absence of institutional procedures, and the emergence of courtly cliques, internal mechanisms, and behind-the-scenes rivalries.
The signatories demanded clear explanations regarding how the movement operates, how party officials are chosen, and how much influence rank-and-file members actually have in decision-making.
Background to the Tempi Movement and Hope for Democracy
Hope for Democracy was formed out of the broader Tempi Movement, a civic campaign that emerged in Greece following the February 2023 Tempi train crash that killed 57 people and sparked nationwide protests over railway safety and official accountability.
Maria Karystianou, whose daughter died in the rail disaster, became a leading public figure for victims' families before helping launch the political initiative, while Missolonghi is a historic coastal town in the western Greek region of Aetolia-Acarnania.
Despite their departure, the 22 former officials stated that leaving the organization did not mean abandoning the core democratic values and principles that initially inspired them to join the movement.
