Greece’s next election may still be months away, but Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is already campaigning with greater urgency. Behind the increased regional visits, meetings with lawmakers and promises of financial support lies a concern within his office: New Democracy’s supporters may need a stronger sense of electoral urgency to rally behind the party.
According to reporting by To Vima’s Grigoris Tziovaras, internal research has prompted the governing center-right party to reassess its strategy as Mitsotakis seeks a third term. The government is moving to address sources of public dissatisfaction while postponing controversial decisions and intensifying its confrontation with the opposition.
Mitsotakis wants New Democracy to win enough parliamentary seats to govern without coalition partners. The figures cited in the report suggest that this will be a challenge.
A Campaign Push Before an Election Is Called
Concern within the prime minister’s office grew when New Democracy’s polling figures stalled in September. Measures announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair, a major annual platform for government economic announcements, appeared to have failed to broaden the party’s appeal, according to the report.
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Advisers at Maximos Mansion, the prime minister’s office, also identified a possible mobilization problem.
Their interpretation of focus-group findings was that declining election speculation during August and September had weakened the rallying of New Democracy supporters behind the party. With voters assuming the election would take place in spring or early summer, some appeared less engaged.
The findings of the focus group helped shape a decision to signal that the country was entering the final stretch toward an election, even without announcing a date.
That approach is reflected in Mitsotakis’ increasingly busy schedule of meetings and regional tours. Recent visits included Aspropyrgos, west of Athens, and Pieria and Chalkidiki in northern Greece.
The northern visits carry particular political significance. According to the report, New Democracy has lost support in those areas as parties to its right, including Greek Solution and Niki, have gained influence. A potential new party associated with former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras could add another competitor for conservative voters.
Cost-of-Living Relief Meets Electoral Strategy
The Mitsotakis government has made fiscal restraint a central part of its economic message. But pressure from households and businesses for relief from the high cost of living and inflationary pressures is testing its ability to balance budget discipline with electoral demands.
According to Tziovaras, the muted response to the Thessaloniki announcements was followed by additional measures on nonperforming loans that the government’s economic team had previously opposed. The report also says implementation of a requirement for rent payments to be made through banks was postponed until after the election.
For voters, these are practical issues involving household finances. For the government, they also offer opportunities to reduce dissatisfaction before the campaign intensifies.
Energy costs are another focus. At the annual general meeting of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, known as SEV, Mitsotakis announced a package worth up to €95 million to reduce industrial electricity costs. In their Oct. 7 announcement, the responsible ministries said the package required European Commission state-aid approval, with payments scheduled to begin in 2027 for eligible electricity consumption in 2026.
Why Finishing First May Not Be Enough
Much of the strategy revolves around New Democracy gaining an outright parliamentary majority.
In Greece’s 300-seat parliament, an outright majority requires at least 151 seats. The electoral system awards the leading party 20 bonus seats if it wins at least 25% of the valid national vote, plus one additional seat for each full half-percentage-point increase above 25%, up to a maximum of 50 bonus seats at 40% or more. A party needs to meet the 3% threshold to enter parliament.
The share of votes cast for parties that fall below that threshold also matters. Those parties do not participate in the proportional allocation of seats, meaning the leading party can achieve a majority with a lower national vote share when more votes go to parties outside parliament.
The number of parties entering parliament, therefore, does not by itself determine the vote share needed for a majority. The combined share of votes going to parties that fail to qualify is crucial.
Government sources say New Democracy stands at 31% in internal polling and could attract an additional three percentage points from predominantly centrist voters. The report does not provide the polling methodology, and this potential support should not be treated as committed votes.
The same sources believe fewer parties will enter the next parliament than September’s polls suggested. Their hopes for a single-party majority rests partly on that expectation, alongside the hope of attracting additional voters.
Campaign Readiness Does Not Mean a Snap Election
The intensified activity has revived questions about an early vote.
Mitsotakis’ advisers deny that the government is preparing a snap election to avoid difficulties that could arise over the winter, including further pressure on household budgets, additional scandal revelations and scheduled trials.
The working expectation within government circles is an election in early May 2027, but the date hasn’t officially been announced.
Asked about an early election by broadcaster SKAI, Mitsotakis argued that calling a vote solely for political advantage would send a message of weakness. A difficult winter, he said, made stable government necessary.
Turning Support Into Votes
Mitsotakis is also adjusting the tone of his appeal.
According to the report, he recently distanced himself from a “Mitsotakis or chaos” framing and suggested that he would not insist on remaining prime minister if New Democracy’s vote share fell to 25%.
At the same time, he continues to present an outright majority as the best way to deliver quick decisions with accountability.
The emerging strategy combines targeted economic support, greater campaign visibility and a renewed appeal to voters who may favor New Democracy but feel little electoral urgency. The aim is to mobilize those supporters well before election day, while keeping open the prospect of a third term without coalition partners.
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