Greece political briefing: Tensions on the Rise in Greek Political Scene
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ISSN: 2560-1601
Vol. 37, No. 1 (GR)
February 2021
Greece political briefing:
Tensions on the Rise in Greek Political Scene
George N. Tzogopoulos
1052 Budapest Petőfi Sándor utca 11.
+36 1 5858 690
Kiadó: Kína-KKE Intézet Nonprofit Kft.
office@china-cee.eu
Szerkesztésért felelős személy: Chen Xin
Kiadásért felelős személy: Huang Ping china-cee.eu
2017/01Tensions on the Rise in Greek Political Scene
The governing New Democracy and the main opposition SYRIZA party do continuously
disagree on a variety of themes. February witnessed rising political tensions in spite of the
continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participation of Prime Minister Kyriakos
Mitsotakis in a big gathering on the island of Ikaria, the new higher education law, and the
apparent involvement of former Director of the National Theater in an affair of sexual abuses
of young Greek artists fueled tense parliamentary debates. The governing New Democracy
party is allegedly capable to deliver on its promise to bring meritocracy in Greece but it is
continuously regarded a better political choice than SYRIZA. The beginning of its political
damage has not yet favored SYRIZA.
February 2021 was a hot month in Greek politics. On 5 February, Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis went to the island of Ikaria in order to inspect the process of vaccination.
His visit, however, ended with him joining a group lunch in the terrace of the house of a local
MP. Information about this gathering was shared via social media after a resident of Ikaria
posted a relevant video, which went viral. Several international media published stories about
the Mitsotakis’ Ikaria visit as it was the second time the Greek Premier allegedly disregarded
rule his own government had imposed. In December, he had without a mask alongside five
motorcyclists at Mount Parnitha, north of Athens.1 The title of a Euronews article about the
Ikaria incident was: ‘Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused of breaking COVID-19 rules for
a second time’.2 Similar items were published in Politico,3 The Guardian,4 and other outlets.
Leader of the main opposition SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, found a good opportunity to
criticize the governing New Democracy and Mitsotakis. He spoke about an ‘arrogant gesture’
1
Euronews website, ‘Greek PM Mitsotakis Denies Breaking Lockdown Rules during Weekend Bike Ride’,
https://www.euronews.com/2020/12/04/greek-pm-mitsotakis-accused-of-breaking-lockdown-rules-during-
weekend-bike-ride, 4 December 2020.
2
Matthew Holroyd, ‘Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis Accused of Breaking COVID-19 Rules for a Second Time’,
available at: https://www.euronews.com/2021/02/08/greek-pm-kyriakos-mitsotakis-accused-of-breaking-covid-
19-rules-for-a-second-time, 8 February 2021.
3
Nektaria Stamouli, ‘Greek PM Accused of Breaking Coronavirus Lockdown Rules – Again’, available at:
https://www.politico.eu/article/greek-prime-minister-kyriakos-mitsotakis-accused-of-breaking-coronavirus-
lockdown-rules-again/, 7 February 2021.
4
Helena Smith, ‘Greek PM Criticized for Lunch that Breached COVID Restrictions’, available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/07/greek-prime-minister-criticised-for-lunch-with-up-to-40-
people, 7 February 2021.
1which could have led to a serious governmental crisis in other European countries. The Prime
Minister himself gave an interview to SKAI TV in which he attempted to offer some
explanations. As he said, his visit to Ikaria was successful but the viral video of the group lunch
partly impacted on the substance of this visit. He offered no apology to Greek citizens, although
he acknowledged that it had been a mistake to join the group gathering that would not be
repeated. He then blamed SYRIZA for orchestrating demonstrations against him and his team
in Ikaria.
Beyond the Ikaria incident another reason for tensions between New Democracy and
SYRIZA was a new education bill that allows special police on university campuses. While the
former believes that this will prevent acts of violence, the latter remains skeptical because of its
potential impact on academic freedom. The two parties also disagreed on the necessary grade
for schools alumni to enter universities. The new bill – as presented by New Democracy –
articulates that a basic grade will be a precondition for university admissions. SYRIZA, by
contrast, anticipates that such a precondition will cause a decrease in the number of college
students that will lead young Greek either to abandon the dream of studies or to apply for
admission to private colleges New Democracy considers as equal with state universities (law
voted in December 2020). The new education law passed with 166 deputies voting in favor and
132 against. In parallel with the New Democracy parliamentary group, MPs of the Greek
Solution party also supported it.
It is certainly interesting, if not disappointing, that the recent parliamentary discussion
about higher education in Greece did not focus on innovation or the connection of universities
to the labor market but mainly on the role of the police. Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis
Chrysochoidis, for instance, said that the presence of police in university campuses was not a
decision shaped by political ideology but a response to rising violence. In November 2020,
Athens University of Economics and Business Rector Dimitris Bourantonis was assaulted by a
group of anarchists.5 Groups of students did not agree with Chrysochoidis, however. They
organized demonstrations against the education bill despite coronavirus restrictions. Police was
occasionally accused of using violence against protesters. 6
Alexis Tsipras has publicly said that demonstrations and protests were a critical element
in a democracy – even under current circumstances. In an interview on Alpha TV he explained
5
Apostolos Lakasas, ‘Time for Uni Violence to End, Says Rector’, available at:
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/258925/time-for-uni-violence-to-end-says-rector/, 9 November 2020.
6
Stavros Malichudis, ‘Greek Police Accused of Violence at Education Bill Protests’, available at:
https://balkaninsight.com/2021/02/11/greek-police-accused-of-violence-at-education-bill-protests/, 11 February
2021.
2that they were both expected from the moment the government was introducing important bills
in parliament. He went further and asserted he would undertake the risk of contagions and
therefore proposed that important bills should not be introduced by the government in
parliament amid the pandemic. He clarified that SYRIZA had been very careful on 17
November 2020 (marking the 1973 student uprising against the military dictatorship) but
considered the education law parliamentary discussion an extraordinary situation because the
governing New Democracy party was legislating in a ‘provocative’ way.
Last but not least, New Democracy and SYRIZA strongly disagreed about former director
of the Greek National Theatre, Dimitris Lignadis, who resigned after allegations of rape.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni had initially undermined the importance of the issue but when
allegations that Lignadis had sexually harassed young actors became serious, she changed
stance. Speaking at a virtual press conference Mendoni said that ‘with a profound talent for
acting, [Lignadis] tried to convince us that he had no connection to the affair’. 7 SYRIZA
demanded the resignation of the Culture Minister for covering-up the sexual abuse but Premier
Mitsotakis offered her support. It is noteworthy that Mendoni had personally selected Lignadis
for the position of the director of the Greek National Theatre bypassing the official vetting
process in 2019. The Lignadis affair was another theme tarnishing Greece’s image in the
international media. 8 A relevant parliamentary discussion reflected the typical political
argumentation of the two main parties, New Democracy and SYRIZA.
The period of New Democracy’s political damage has already started. The resignation of
government spokesperson Christos Tarantilis on the last day of February fueled speculations.
Although he invoked family reasons, SYRIZA diagnosed internal problems within New
Democracy and encouraged the Culture Minister to follow the path of Mendoni. Obviously,
Mendoni cannot be held accountable for the sexual abuses of the former Director of the National
Theater neither are her competences questioned because of Lignadis’ attitude. But her
insistence on keeping her portfolio demonstrates lack of courage in undertaking the political
responsibility of an affair that has shocked Greek public opinion. SYRIZA, for its part, exerts
criticism, which is a usual habit for opposition parties in Greece, in the hope to politically
benefit in the medium-term. Nevertheless, it has not yet offered a new, reliable governmental
program, whereas memories of its July 2019 defeat remain vivid.
7
Hi Kathimerini English edition website, ‘Culture Minister Says Was Deceived by Former Head of National
Theater’, available at: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1155537/culture-minister-says-was-deceived-by-
former-head-of-national-theatre/, 19 February 2021.
8
Niki Kitsantonis, ‘Ex-Artistic Director of Greece’s National Theater Held after Rape Arrest Warrant’, available
at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/world/europe/Greek-national-theater-Metoo.html, 20 February 2021.
3While the period of New Democracy’s political damage has begun, the good news for the
governing party is that citizens remain confident in the way it has responded to the coronavirus
crisis from the perspective of public health protection. This currently applies to the coordination
of the vaccination process. Of course, the more time passes the more citizens assess the
performance of the government from the perspective of their economic survival. The coming
summer is expected to be critical because Greece largely relies on tourism and several citizens
do not necessarily consider state allowances sufficient to cover their economic needs.
Additionally, New Democracy can perhaps lose supporters who will not essentially join
SYRIZA but other small political parties. The Lignadis affair, for example, might arguably
push some of them to this direction noting that Mitsotakis has not boosted meritocracy as he
had pledged before the 2019 national election.
Conclusion
The next Greek national election will be based on a proportional system. This means that
it is particularly hard for the winner to form a government. As political cooperation among
parties is far from easy in Greece, the organization of a second election is likely. Against this
backdrop, Greek citizens could find it tempting to vote for smaller parties at first. The beginning
of New Democracy’s political damage, which was evident in February 2021, and the inability
of SYRIZA to articulate straightforward political proposals will perhaps break down Greece’s
political map. Centrist voters acknowledge problems in the governing style of New Democracy
and refrain from expressing confidence in SYRIZA.
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