Former Greek PM expelled from ruling New Democracy party | Greece

Former Greek prime minister and lawmaker Antonis Samaras was expelled from the ruling New Democracy party over his persistent criticism of government policies.

Samaras, 73, a hardline nationalist, had criticised Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ approach to negotiations with Turkey, which he has likened to appeasement. He also strongly disapproved of government policy that he considered too “centrist” or “woke”, especially the decision to legislate in favour of same-sex marriage earlier this year.

The government appeared particularly irked by a Samaras interview to be published in Sunday newspaper To Vima in which he called for the ousting of the foreign minister, George Gerapetritis, over his conduct in negotiations with Turkey.

“Mr. Samaras … did not just express opinions. He expressed his complete disagreement with all governing policies. Moreover, he adopted extreme lies (about the foreign minister) in an unbecoming and provocative manner,” said government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, announcing Samaras’ expulsion Saturday afternoon.

Samaras responded in a lengthy statement, saying, “Arrogance and loss of nerve explain Mitsotakis’ move. Cut off from the party base, he is leading a party that scarcely resembles New Democracy.”

It is not the first time Samaras has clashed with a Mitsotakis. In 1992, the then-prime minister, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, father of the current premier, dismissed Samaras as foreign minister over policy differences regarding the name dispute with what was then the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the present North Macedonia.

In 1993, Samaras and a few like-minded lawmakers left New Democracy, bringing down the Mitsotakis government and ushering in more than 10 years of socialist rule. Samaras founded his own short-lived party, Political Spring.

Samaras succeeded former prime minister Kostas Karamanlis as head of the conservatives in 2009, but left the post after an electoral defeat in 2015.

“This time, history will not repeat itself. The government majority continues its course, without Mr. Samaras,” said the government spokesperson. “No one has the right to mess with the country’s stability in these troubled times,” said Marinakis.

The ruling conservatives have a slight majority in the parliament, with 155 lawmakers out of 300. But Samaras has a number of supporters among that group, as does the now retired Karamanlis.

In the interview, Samaras proposed Karamanlis should replace the president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a left-of-center former judge whose five-year term ends in early 2025. She had been elected by the parliament with Mitsotakis’ backing.