Karamanlis finally speaks!

Former PM Costas Karamanlis intervened in the pre-election campaign after a long period with a declaration of support towards ND and Mr. Antonis Samaras, confirming the story published by protothema.gr on the agreement reached with the party president on public statements shortly before the election.

It is the first time that Mr. Karamanlis speaks publicly after his defeat in the 2009 elections. In order to leave no doubt about his intentions tomorrow, Mr. Karamanlis will attend a meeting of the Executive Committee of the party in Thessaloniki. He chose to help his constituency to avoid confusion about his relationship with the current chairman of the party and his future intentions.

Mr. Karamanlis’ statement is as follows: “The overriding challenge in the upcoming elections is political and governmental stability. Critical decisions must be made, structural changes must proceed quickly and above all, there is urgency about a comprehensive development policy that will lead the country out of the hopeless vortex of recession. The country must be governed with a clear policy focus and a timeline horizon of four years.

Otherwise, the unprecedented adventure that the country is experiencing may be exacerbated on all levels, economically, socially and even nationally. A prerequisite for political stability is the reinforcement of  the New Democracy party. The more support the party and its chairman have, the more valid the hope is that we can exit the crisis without any more cost”.

The statement comes at a time when ND is still facing problems rallying the party base. It is almost certain that Mr. Karamanlis’ statement will rally more people to the cause. It is a clear statement of support towards Mr. Samaras moving along the lines of the ND party leader; however, there is no mention of empowerment or a clear mandate, but the need to enhance the party and governmental stability, as well as a four-year horizon.

It was expected that the former PM would intervene to strengthen the party as concers the elections. Until now he had not spoken, he was just present in all the important party gatherings and parliamentary procedures. His participation in the party electoral effort is necessary for the party's day after.

Please note that tomorrow, Wednesday, Kostas Karamanlis will visit the offices of the executive committee of the ND Thessaloniki Prefecture, where he will be welcomed by its president, Dimitris Tsamis. According to information, Mr. Karamanlis will meet with all candidates of the party in the prefecture. In order to signal the party’s rallying, the former PM will underline the necessity of securing political autonomy after the elections.