Bakoyannis returns to ND fold
The leader of conservative New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, and the head of the liberal Democratic Alliance, Dora Bakoyannis, a former conservative minister and political rival, on Monday announced that they were joining forces in “a patriotic, pro-European front” aimed at “battling the forces of populism” and ensuring that the country remains in the eurozone.
In a joint press conference, the one-time political foes declared that they would run in the June 17 general elections on a common platform with the chief aim of keeping Greece in the eurozone but also “resisting and changing the course of things,” an apparent reference to the rising popularity of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), which has called for the rejection of Greece’s debt deal with foreign creditors.
“Our aim is to extract the country from crisis but keep it in the eurozone,” Samaras said, adding, “SYRIZA is heading in the opposite direction.” The alliance aims to renegotiate the terms of the country’s debt deal.
Bakoyannis, who unsuccessfully challenged Samaras for the leadership of ND in 2009 and was ejected from the party in 2010 when she voted for the country’s first debt deal, said it was time to break with the past. “Let us focus on what unites us,” the former Athens mayor said.
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