ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Former Greek prime minister and lawmaker Antonis Samaras has been expelled from the ruling New Democracy party for his persistent criticism of government policies.
Samaras, 73, a hardline nationalist, criticized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' approach to negotiations with Turkey, likening it to appeasement. He also strongly opposed government policies he considered too “centrist” or “abnormal”, particularly the legislative decision earlier this year to support same-sex marriage.
The government appears to be particularly outraged by an interview with Samaras scheduled to be published in the Sunday newspaper Tobima, in which he calls for the removal of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis over his handling of negotiations with Turkey. Ta.
“Mr. ) told an extreme lie,” said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, who announced Samaras’ ouster on Saturday afternoon.
“Arrogance and loss of nerve explain Mitsotakis' actions. Cut off from the party's base, he leads a party that bears little resemblance to New Democracy,” Samaras said in a lengthy statement. ”
This is not the first time Samaras and Mitsotakis have clashed. In 1992, then-Prime Minister Konstantin Mitsotakis, father of the current prime minister, dismissed Samaras as foreign minister due to differences in policy regarding the name dispute with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia).
In 1993, Samaras and several like-minded MPs left the New Democracy Party, overthrowing the Mitsotakis government and ushering in more than a decade of socialist rule. Samaras founded his own short-lived political party, Political Spring.
Samaras succeeded former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis as Conservative Party leader in 2009, but resigned after losing the 2015 election.
“History will not repeat itself this time. Even without Mr. Samaras, the government majority will continue that trend,” a government spokesperson said. “No one has the right to disrupt the stability of the country during these difficult times,” Marinakis said.
The ruling conservative party has a narrow majority in parliament, with 155 out of 300 members. However, there are many supporters of Mr. Samaras within that group, including Mr. Karamanlis, who is now retired.
In the interview, Samaras suggested that Karamanlis should replace center-left president Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a former judge whose five-year term ends in early 2025. She had been elected to parliament with Mitsotakis' support.
