Greek Election 2023: Final countdown – Mitsotakis’s first open speech in Patras, followed by Thessaloniki, Athens

Kyriakos Mitsotakis enters the last, most critical ten days of the pre-election campaign with the first open speech tonight (at 20:00) at the Three Allies square in Patras. During this time, all  political leaders are expected to give the final battles to increase their percentages in the June 25 showdown.

This time Mitsotakis chose to hold three large gatherings, instead of two. Therefore, the Achaean capital will normally be followed by Thessaloniki (on the evening of Wednesday, June 21) and Athens (on the evening of Friday, June 23), while his political opponents are finalizing their own programming (locations, direction, etc.) .

Constitution Square

In addition to the addition of Patras, the location of the last speech of the New Democracy president in Athens also changes. For the final stretch the… charm of Thisio will not be chosen in the end (ND and PASOK had chosen it both in 2019 and last May), but the platform will be unexpectedly set up in Syntagma Square (it was chosen by SYRIZA and the KKE ahead of the May 21 clash). From there Mitsotakis is expected to ask for a “strong parliamentary majority” for the last time before the ballot box.

In the meantime, there has been a great blue mobilization for today’s gathering as well. The leader of New Democracy is expected to make references not only to the stakes of the elections with the enhanced proportional representation as well as to the constant motto of the new democrats that “the battle is not over”, but also to refer to particularly important issues for Western Greece.

The electoral district of Achaia – traditionally centre-left – changed hands on May 21, while New Democracy was strengthened especially in Patras by almost two percentage points (in absolute numbers by 4,551 votes). The main concern of the blues is now that there is not the slightest reversal of correlations.

With the air of a winner

Mitsotakis is currently heading towards the showdown with a winner’s air but also with concern for possible complacency among the voters, who may discount the ND’s lead. However, the goal is the widest possible parliamentary majority, hence the center-right faction cannot help but attach great importance to every critical station towards the ballot box (gatherings, debate which takes place tomorrow, etc.).

After all, from the first 24 hours after the overwhelming victory with 40%+ on May 21, Mitsotakis himself was talking to his executives at the same time about the “winner’s flow” and the need to avoid complacency. “We can more easily bring people to the ballot box and that’s what we have to do, make sure we have the maximum possible turnout,” he said then, defining as an opponent “the satisfaction of victory.”

Image of power

An experienced analyst characterizes the “aura of the winner” as the first positive element for a party in power, estimating that “an image of power can be influential”, in the sense that a portion of the voters bear more expectations and cause greater identification. Another political analyst agrees on the usefulness of leaders purposefully exploiting symbols of power, with the point however that the search for a “stamp of sovereignty” through “the symbolic” could also involve an element of… insecurity.

On the part of the pollsters, they find that New Democracy maintains its strength with a high rate of rallying round the flag. In the past few days, the scene regarding at least the first “positions” seems unchanged, with the biggest battle concerning the… threshold of 3% that ensures the entry of parties into Parliament.