The open conflict between Antonis Samaras and Kyriakos Mitsotakis is now entering a new phase, raging within the ranks of the «blue» camp, with the events of their direct confrontation snowballing within 48 hours.
The latest development was certainly the request filed by Mr. Samaras to the Supreme Court prosecutor, requesting a full investigation into his surveillance using the illegal Predator software and complaining that he has repeatedly asked the government to investigate the matter, but has received no response to date.
In this way, the former prime minister is carrying out a move that he had previously kept as a weapon in his arsenal, and with which he is now taking the Maximos Mansion by surprise, at a time when the government’s attacks against him had begun to escalate.
And in fact, through figures such as Adonis Georgiadis, who—while he once said that «you’ll never hear me say a bad word about Antonis Samaras»— has now (following Mr. Samaras’s two videos on social media) taken it upon himself to lead the government’s attacks against the former prime minister, launching direct attacks against Antonis Samaras and even attempting to equate him with the government’s political opponents.
Georgiadis's Attack
Specifically, commenting on Mr. Samaras’s fierce criticism in one of the two videos he posted on social media—in which, among other things, noted that he himself had told the government that «money from Europe should go to small and medium-sized businesses, not to the few,» Adonis Georgiadis attacked the former prime minister, saying that «this is an accusation that Tsipras made, that Kasselakis made, Androulakis said it, Zoe Konstantopoulou said it, Velopoulos said it, and I’m sorry, because now I’ve heard it from Samaras as well,» adding: «I don’t know if he wants to hang out with them.».
In the same vein, he accused the former prime minister of «trying to perpetuate a narrative from the Left about a government of the wealthy and corruption,» concluding by saying, «I want to hope that he won’t form a party,» and that «I hope that if he does eventually form a party, it won’t be subject to criticism from the Left or from people like Zoi Konstantopoulou and Velopoulos, because that would be very sad.».
A smear campaign by the Prime Minister's Office
In the same vein, the Maximos Mansion itself, through government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis—going so far as to even invoke the… well-known TV series «Retire»— attempted to dismiss the remarks and criticism leveled by Mr. Samaras against the government in the two videos (in which, among other things, the former prime minister noted that «I told them to do ten things, and they did the opposite, which is why New Democracy went from 40% to 20%’).
In this context, the government spokesperson stated that «the citizens determine our poll numbers, and every day we are judged by them, and we will be judged again.» The last time the citizens spoke, our party achieved two of the highest vote shares it has ever received in two consecutive elections,« while, of course, glossing over the poor result the New Democracy party achieved in the European elections, as well as the fact that this was the last time »the citizens spoke.”.
As for the substance of Mr. Samaras’s criticism, he did not offer a substantive response, but instead attempted to dismiss it, saying that «We’re not going to sit around every day commenting on statements or positions like that, but what I was thinking is that, since it’s summer now, we see a lot of reruns of Greek TV series on TV, and in fact, every year, even though they’re played over and over again, they break viewership records because we love them so much. For example, just a few days ago I was watching *Retire*, a legendary series. That doesn’t mean that what works on Greek television will also work in politics.».
«A »dig" at Samaras
As for the petition filed by Antonis Samaras with the Supreme Court to investigate his surveillance by the Predator, Maximos, through the government spokesperson, once again took refuge behind the Supreme Court’s prosecutorial rulings that —contrary to the decision of the Athens Single-Judge Misdemeanor Court—found no state involvement in the wiretapping scandal, stating that «once a citizen—whether he was prime minister or not—turns to the courts, it is the courts that provide the answers. The judiciary has already addressed the substance of this case through a series of rulings, and there is no need for me to say anything further.».
The government spokesperson added that «beyond that, I am not aware of any communications between Mr. Samaras and the government, nor has there been any such information for years that this issue has been under discussion,» and taking a jab at Mr. Samaras, saying: «I would like to remind you that this case—at least as far as the resignations are concerned and the part regarding Mr. Androulakis’s legal affiliations—began to be discussed in 2022. Subsequently, in 2023, if I recall correctly, Mr. Samaras was also a candidate for the New Democracy party.».
Response from Samaras's associates
This prompted an immediate response from Antonis Samaras’s associates, who noted, «If we recall correctly, New Democracy’s president in 2023 was Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Does New Democracy have anything to do with this case? Does Kyriakos Mitsotakis have anything to do with it, perhaps? So why is Mr. Marinakis linking the surveillance of Mr. Samaras to New Democracy and the 2023 elections?”.
Criticism from Bakoyannis
For her part, Dora Bakoyannis turned her fire on the former prime minister, accusing him (Parapolitika 90.1) of aiming to harm New Democracy, adding that «whether he causes harm will be decided by the Greek people,» while noting that «Everyone’s political history has been written; it doesn’t change» and that «17 years ago, New Democracy forgave Samaras for bringing down a government and made him party president and prime minister. His history since 1990 is well known, and we’ll see who is proven right. Reality doesn’t change.”», thus responding to the second video in which Mr. Samaras had accused Ms. Bakoyannis of «hasn’t come to her senses yet» 17 years after he himself lost the leadership of New Democracy in 2009, while responding in turn to the former foreign minister’s statements that Mr. Samaras «has gone mad» and that «he wants to deprive New Democracy of a majority.».
