Challenging times for Greece’s political parties
The Greek political system is going through challenging times. The fragmentation, in whatever direction it takes place in the ideological spectrum, can only act as an impediment to the country’s political stability and smooth governance.
Despite the “safe” distance separating New Democracy from its main rivals on the center-left, PASOK and SYRIZA, the ruling party is torn between three factions: the one controlled by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the other two led by his two predecessors at the helm of ND, and former prime ministers, Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras.
The divisions – the result of ideological differences, objections on moral grounds, but also personal animosity – run deep and there is no prospect of relations being restored anytime soon.
To what extent that dire reality will impact the party’s appeal remains to be seen. But as the prime minister himself noted soon after the European elections, the 41% is not there anymore. Getting 25-28% is not a prescription for stability.
It is true that being in power has a strong binding effect, but precisely how strong remains to be seen.
For its part, SYRIZA has been going through an existential identity crisis for many months now, which culminated in the expulsion of its former leader Stefanos Kasselakis.
With its upcoming congress and leadership elections, in which Kasselakis vows to once again be a candidate, the atmosphere is poisonous and the party finds itself in disarray with daily personal attacks, as it is evident that many senior members cannot coexist with him.
With plummeting support in the polls, the most likely scenario seems to be yet another split, greatly diminishing, if not totally destroying, any chance of SYRIZA ever returning to power.
PASOK is also facing its own identity challenges, but is well placed to benefit from the crises in ND and SYRIZA.
Being in the process of electing its new leader, the challenge here is for the party to pick someone with the ability to broaden its appeal to both the center-right and the left, and present a credible alternative to the government, not an easy task either, especially after the result of the first round.
