Samaras vs. Mitsotakis: The Clash of Two Worlds Inside the Greek Right

Antonis Samaras “Breaks His Silence” – “He Expelled Me in Haste”

The rift within New Democracy has now taken on historic proportions.Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, in a forthcoming tell-all interview to be aired on ANT1, launches a scathing attack on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing him of arrogance, institutional impropriety, and distorting the party’s identity.

“Kyriakos Mitsotakis cannot stomach the Right, the Centre-Right, nor the history or grassroots of New Democracy. He’s turned it into a hybrid of Simitis-style PASOK, painted blue,”Samaras declared — drawing a clear ideological line in the sand.

The “Record-Speed” Expulsion

Samaras describes his expulsion as “unprecedented in the party’s history,” claiming the Prime Minister rushed to strike his name from the register even before the interview that triggered it was published.

“He expelled me in haste — a former Prime Minister — before the interview even came out. He was in a hurry. For ‘Mrs. Ferrari’, ‘Mr. Frappe’, and ‘Mr. Butcher’, he needed weeks to act. For me — minutes.”

This move, he insists, was no coincidence but part of a deliberate strategy by the Maximos Mansion — to silence dissenting voices within New Democracy.

“It’s Not Personal – It’s About Principles”

With a tone both sharp and symbolic, Samaras emphasizes:“I hold no grudges. Others seem haunted by nightmares. The problem isn’t personal — it’s political and moral.”

That line functions as a manifesto — an attempt to frame the conflict not as a personal feud, but as a battle for the soul of the Greek Right.

“Arrogance and Institutional Impropriety”

The former Prime Minister didn’t stop at the expulsion.He accused Mitsotakis of institutional arrogance, citing his behavior in Parliament:“I saw the Prime Minister walk out of a leaders’ debate saying he didn’t have time to listen to everyone. In another session, he told a party leader to ‘stop braying.’ He talks about ‘patriots of the couch and the lentil soup.’ These are all signs of arrogance and contempt for institutions.”

According to Samaras, such rhetoric undermines the moral tradition of New Democracy — a party that once prided itself on dialogue, synthesis, and respect.

The “Old Guard” Stirring

Behind Samaras’s words, one can sense an undercurrent of unrest among the so-called Karamanlis loyalists and traditional conservatives.Many view Mitsotakis’s technocratic style as a departure from the party’s ideological roots, and Samaras’s interview is seen as a wake-up call for a base that feels politically orphaned.

Samaras Returns as a Political Prosecutor

Antonis Samaras’s ANT1 interview was more than a public statement — it was a political comeback aimed squarely at the core of Mitsotakis’s power.Through carefully chosen language, Samaras presented the rupture as a clash of two value systems within the Right.“The problem isn’t personal. It’s political and moral. Kyriakos Mitsotakis cannot stand the Right, nor New Democracy’s history. He has turned it into a Simitis-style PASOK with blue coloring.”

That line wasn’t just sharp — it was political poison. It marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new ideological confrontation inside Greece’s ruling party.

The Expulsion as a “Political Execution”

Samaras argues that the decision to expel him was an act of political panic and authoritarianism, not a disciplinary measure.“I didn’t leave to come back. Mr. Mitsotakis expelled me, hastily, before the paper even hit the stands. He was in a hurry. For others, he took weeks. For me, minutes.”

The repetition, the irony, the timing — all underscore Samaras’s central accusation:that Mitsotakis acts not as custodian of a party, but as its proprietor.“He found a pretext to turn New Democracy into his own personal party.”

“What Grudge Could I Have? I Made Him Minister!”

When speaking of his personal relationship with Mitsotakis, Samaras evoked a tone of betrayal and irony.He reminded viewers of his role in Mitsotakis’s early career:“Who made him Minister? Samaras. Who made him Parliamentary Spokesman? Samaras. Who supported him for party leader? Samaras. And now — he expels me in haste.”

The repetition of his own name — “Samaras” — is a rhetorical hammer. It’s meant to remind New Democracy’s old guard that Mitsotakis rose on the shoulders of the very party establishment he now disowns.

From Arrogance to “The Metapolitefsi of the Metapolitefsi”

But the most intriguing part of the interview wasn’t the attack — it was the vision Samaras tried to project:He spoke of a new political era — “the Metapolitefsi of the Metapolitefsi”, or in English, “the post-Transition transition.”“People can’t stand confusion anymore. They want responsibility. Freedom without responsibility doesn’t exist. The post-Metapolitefsi era has already begun.”

Here, Samaras addresses not Mitsotakis, but the conservative electorate — positioning himself as a patriotic, values-based leader against the cold technocracy of the current administration.

Rewriting His Legacy: “I Saved the Country Without a Majority”

Samaras also sought to reframe his historical record during Greece’s debt crisis:“In 2011, I could have called for elections — but I didn’t. I put the national interest above party interest.

If Merkel had supported us, Greece would have avoided the tragedy. They wanted to punish Greece — to set an example.”

In this telling, Samaras paints himself as the responsible patriot, in contrast to a detached, elitist technocrat who governs without conviction or continuity.

The Deeper Layer: A Right in Search of Its Soul

Samaras’s rhetoric is not just an attack — it’s a coded message to the conservative base:that New Democracy has lost its ideological compass.

His words act as a rallying cry to traditional right-wing voters, national conservatives, and those nostalgic for the party’s moral roots. It’s clear he’s not retiring — he’s repositioning himself as the conscience of the Right.

The Maximos Mansion Watches in Silence

For now, the Prime Minister’s office maintains an icy silence — hoping not to amplify Samaras’s challenge.But inside New Democracy, tension is simmering.Insiders already describe the interview as “the first tremor before an internal political earthquake.”

The Greek Right at a Turning Point

The Samaras–Mitsotakis conflict is more than a personal feud.It is an existential struggle over what New Democracy stands for in the 21st century.A party of power without ideology — or a movement rooted in values, history, and national identity?

With this interview, Antonis Samaras has reopened a historic question — and perhaps a wound.And as one veteran party figure put it:“The issue isn’t who’s right — it’s who still remembers why this party was created in the first place.”

Source : pagenews.gr