Message received after stormy meeting

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reportedly heeded the message sent by the 37 MPs that took the floor at last Wednesday’s tumultuous meeting of ruling New Democracy’s parliamentary group.

The meeting, which was held in the aftermath of ND’s disappointing tally in the European Parliament elections on June 9, was the most difficult in years and certainly the “noisiest” during the tenure of Mitsotakis, who has had the unique privilege of being unchallenged for such a long time, something no predecessor had accomplished. 

The meeting emphasized the party’s ideological orientation, relations between MPs and ministers, as well as everyday issues.

In comments to Kathimerini, a government source said that after the parliamentary group meeting “we are not where we were,” as “the messages were received.”

The prime minister reportedly listened carefully to the MPs, even the most critical ones, and was said to have admitted at the end of the meeting that he “heard things I did not know.”

Among the issues highlighted at the meeting, which is among those to which Mitsotakis is giving serious consideration, is the gap between the parliamentary group and the government. “Everything going well in the planning of the government project sometimes does not synchronize with things going well in society,” added another source.

As a result, extensive reshuffles in the party’s secretariats are expected in July, while more frequent meetings will take place with MPs to ensure that everyone is one the same page.

Mitsotakis also understood that he will need to add a little water to his wine. A case in point is the unpopular legislation regarding self-employed professionals to which, Kathimerini understands, some corrections will be made from September.

He was also made further aware of the impact that the same-sex marriage legislation has had on the conservative party’s electoral base. The sentiment that existed in the government when the law was passed, that “in a short time no one will remember this issue,” was not confirmed. 

The issue of the presidential election and President Katerina Sakellaropoulou also came under the spotlight, with some MPs saying she is “completely foreign” to the culture of New Democracy.