Politics

Five female workers were killed in the explosion and fire at the factory in Trikala. Credit: AMNA The Greek government has disputed the credibility of data released after the Violanta cookie factory tragedy in Trikala, which revealed a staggering escalation in labor accidents, reaching a peak in 2025. The government is trying to prevent a narrative of systemic safety failure from taking root amid a chorus of opposition claims regarding non-existent oversight. Central to the government’s defense are official figures from the Labor Inspection Authority, which record 42 workplace fatalities in 2025 (with five still under investigation). These figures show a stable trend since 2021, directly contradicting claims by unions and opposition parties of over 200 deaths. The government has specifical...

Since the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974,it has been an unwritten law of politics in Athens that former heads of government should avoid the limelight and refrain from making comments or giving advice. Silence, however, doesn't seem to be an option any longer for former left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. He ruled Greece from 2015 to 2019 at the height of the debt crisis. Although Tsipras had kept a low profile in recent years, the former idol of the Greek left is now working on a comeback. Following numerous rumors, Tsipras finally confirmed that he intends to form a new party. In early October, he announced his resignation from the left-wing opposition party Syriza. He had been their chairman until June 2023, and relinquished his seat in parliament. In an interview wi...

The decision by Maria Karystianou – a mother who lost her daughter in Greece’s deadliest rail disaster – to enter politics is reshaping an already volatile political landscape as the country heads towards elections in 2027, the same year it will assume the EU’s rotating presidency. Karystianou, a 53-year-old paediatrician, rose to prominence after founding a group representing families of victims of the 2023 train crash that killed 57 people, mostly young adults. The disaster triggered mass protests in Greece and across Europe, with demonstrators demanding accountability from ministers and senior officials. Her entrance comes at a delicate moment for Greek politics. National parliamentary elections must be held by March 2027, just months before Greece takes over the EU Council presidency i...

Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, called for “reason and dialogue” to prevail in relations between the European Union and the United States during his regular monthly meeting with President Konstantinos Tasoulas, warning that the world has entered a period of unprecedented geopolitical and geoeconomic turbulence.Speaking at the Presidential Mansion in Athens on the morning of Jan. 20, Mitsotakis painted a stark picture of the international environment as 2026 begins.“I bring you news of troubled seas,” he told the president. “2026 has started with unprecedented international geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges. The bedrock principles that sustained postwar peace and prosperity are now being tested.”Against a backdrop of rising transatlantic tensions, stemming from President...

The Greek government has decided to give increased public visibility to its 2025 record and its 2026 planning, outlining 100 reforms and projects across 24 policy sectors, as it seeks to return political debate to what it describes as a “positive agenda” focused on governance and reform. Vice President of the Government Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis, and Secretary General for Coordination Evi Dramaliti presented the government’s approach during a press conference last Tuesday. Government officials told the Athens–Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that the initiative reflects a strategic decision to highlight reform delivery more systematically and earlier, rather than waiting for the pre-election period. Offic...

A Greek woman set to launch a new political party after losing her child in a deadly train crash has ignited controversy by calling for a public consultation on abortion rights, fuelling concerns that her movement may take a conservative turn. Maria Karystianou, a 53-year-old paediatrician, recently announced plans to launch a new party, saying its sole objective would be to fight corruption and that it would not adopt a specific ideological orientation. However, early indications suggest the party will take a conservative stance. Karystianou has close ties to the Church, and her lawyer and close associate, Maria Gratsia, ran in the 2023 elections as a candidate for Niki, a party with strong links to the Greek Orthodox Church. Greek parties shaken as mother of train crash victim enters...

The emergence of a party led or inspired by Maria Karystianou, until recently the head of the association representing families of victims of the Tempe rail disaster, has turned the tables on the Greek political scene, making it even more fluid and complex. As many were predicting, and recent polls have confirmed, ruling New Democracy is still leading by a safe margin, but is now polling around 23%. That means it is far from being able to form a government by itself as has been the case since it came to power in 2019. ND is clearly ahead of the three parties that follow, with percentages that, at this stage at least, fluctuate around roughly 13%. This could very well change in the coming months, possibly with a strengthening of the Karystianou “wave” at the expense of leftist Course of Fre...

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to kick-start the process of constitutional revision carries multiple political messages—and in Greece’s fluid, pre-election environment, its timing is especially significant.Constitutional revision in Greece is the highest-level institutional process for amending the country’s founding legal framework. It requires complex parliamentary majorities across two successive parliaments, making consensus both necessary and politically charged.A reform narrative under strainOn one level, the initiative is meant to signal a reboot: a renewed commitment by the ruling New Democracy party to deep structural reforms. Reformism has long been central to Mitsotakis’ political brand.Yet this narrative now collides with the government’s record. Critics poi...

The Greek government is formally opening discussions on a major reform of the country’s secondary education system, centered on the creation of a new National Diploma that would redefine the role of high school.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chaired Tuesday’s meeting at the Maximos Mansion. He described the initiative as the beginning of a broad discussion rather than the announcement of finalized decisions. He stressed that education reform should rise above party lines and electoral cycles, calling for participation from political parties, educators, parents and students. The aim, he said, is to design a modern system that responds to rapid changes in learning and the labor market and restores high school as an autonomous and meaningful stage of education.“High school must not be mer...

Join us for this event that will introduce the new volume The Oxford Handbook of Modern Greek Politics, edited by Kevin Featherstone and Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos.This ground-breaking volume provides a panorama of Greek politics from the transition to democracy in 1974 to the present day. Its 43 chapters are written by leading Greek and international specialists, providing unprecedented breadth and authority. Join the editors in a discussion with Brigid Laffan, Kalypso Nicolaidis and George Tsebelis, concerning its major arguments and themes and the challenges for Greece.Meet our speakers and chairKevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics in the European Institute at LSE, where he is also Director of the Hellenic Ob...