Lack of Transparency in Governmental Actions
This article does not seek to exploit the loss of life to draw political conclusions. Instead, it aims to examine the government’s actions after the tragedy and emphasize how its often problematic and opaque attitude demonstrates the urgent need for political change in Greece. The 2023 train crash was caused by a failure of the railway communication system, which should have alerted operators if two trains were on the same track. The current government, led by New Democracy and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has faced accusations for questionable handling of the case with lack of transparency.
A publication on 24 March 2024 reported that after the accident, two different recorded conversations of the stationmaster with train drivers were edited and released to the public to promote the theory of human error. Subsequently, in February 2025, a document came out showing that the biological material of the victims was destroyed 40 days after the accident, instead of the usual 7-8 months. Criticism has also emerged regarding the alleged tampering with evidence at the crash site by authorities during their investigation. As a result, Christos Triantopoulos, the former State Secretary for Climate Change and Civil Protection, who was responsible for natural disaster response and state aid, is expected to face judgment by the judicial council. However, it remains unclear who authorized these actions.
This was not the first time this specific government’s decisions have sparked concerns and anger among Greek citizens. Ιn 2022, the Greek surveillance scandal was broke out. Immediately after his reign as Prime Minister in 2019, Mitsotakis brought the Greek National Intelligence Service directly under his authority, assigning its oversight to his nephew, Grigoris Dimitriadis who served as the General Secretary to the Prime Minister. Later, it was revealed that through a software called Predator, numerous public figures, including the president of the Social Democratic Party (PASOK), Nikos Androulakis, as well as a few journalists were under surveillance. Additionally, in January 2023, the Greek independent telecommunications privacy authority confirmed that Minister of Labour and currently Deputy Prime Minister and close ally of Mitsotakis, Kostis Hatzidakis, along with the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Konstantinos Floros, had been monitored by EYP. This revelation directly contradicted Mitsotakis’s denial just a month earlier.
The ideal scenario for a Progressive Governmental Alternative
In response to the opaque governance of New Democracy, it would be ideal for the progressive opposition parties to take cooperative and decisive action. At present, no opposition party has managed to surpass the ruling party in the polls, despite the notable rise of Zoe Konstantopoulou’s Course of Freedom, which has come in at second place in quite a few opinion polls. This shifting political landscape calls for bold, strategic, and future-oriented solutions.
An ideal scenario would see the major progressive parties—PASOK, led by Nikos Androulakis; SYRIZA, under Socratis Famellos; Course of Freedom, led by former Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou; and the recently formed New Left, a SYRIZA breakaway led by Alexis Charitsis—join forces in a structured and forward-looking alliance. These parties have already demonstrated a basic level of parliamentary cooperation, most notably with their joint submission of a no-confidence motion against the Mitsotakis government in early March 2025. Looking ahead, these progressive forces, along with other non-parliamentary actors willing to participate, should work toward delivering real social and political change that reflects the growing public demand for a transformative alternative. In this vision, they would set aside existential or personal rivalries and instead focus on crafting a shared platform that could offer a credible progressive governance program for at least the next four years.
Given that fundamental policy differences between these parties are relatively limited, especially between the center-left and the broader left, a unified plan could emerge through a sustained, two-year dialogue process. With the next national elections expected in 2027, there would be enough time to build consensus on key issues. For this effort to gain public trust, the alliance should present clear and actionable proposals on crucial sectors such as the economy, foreign policy, the rule of law, and institutional reform. This approach would demonstrate that a serious and viable progressive alternative exists—one grounded in realism and accountability. This kind of cooperation would not be unprecedented in Europe. In 2024, France witnessed the formation of the New Popular Front, an alliance of socialist and left-wing parties, to counter the rise of the far right. While the context in Greece is different, such an alliance would serve not merely to contain extremism but to offer a compelling, transparent, and effective alternative to a government that has, for over six years, often operated without transparency or adequate public accountability.
Political Reality in Greece
However, the political reality in Greece has not aligned with the ideal progressive scenario described above. On April 11, 2015, SYRIZA announced 10+1 proposals for dialogue with other progressive parties. However, both PASOK and Course of Freedom quickly rejected the possibility of cooperation. PASOK views itself as the true representative of the center-left and Social Democracy in Greece. Meanwhile, the rise of Konstantopoulou’s party in the polls makes its refusal to collaborate more understandable, as it seeks to gauge its relative strength independently in the upcoming elections. A few days after SYRIZA’s proposals, the New Left’s congress also rejected the prospect of cooperation, despite its leader, Alexis Charitsis, expressing support for such an alliance. Since then, a cooperative progressive scenario seems distant.
Perhaps a solution within the fragmented center-left spectrum could come from politicians who are not currently leading any party. Since his departure from active politics in June 2023, the name of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has frequently been mentioned as a potential candidate for a political comeback. On June 10, during an event organized by his institute, Tsipras spoke about the need to create a new movement, composed of Greece’s progressive forces, to counter the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. For many, Tsipras appears to be the only politician capable of leading such a new center-left formation. However, his presence also provokes strong opposition among members of potential partner parties, most notably from PASOK. In his tenure as a Prime Minster, Tsipras’ moves occasionally showed his intention for the cooperation between left and center-left in some matters. The expression of this willingness was his frequent participation as an observer at the meetings of the Party of European Socialists, despite leading SYRIZA which was a member of the European Left. Currently, it seems that he continues in this direction, with his institution’s events, in which the list of participants contains notable politicians from the board center-left political spectrum.
Another politician who has taken the initiative toward creating a center-left alliance is Louka Katseli, former Minister in the PASOK government from 2009 to 2011. Ms. Katseli was also proposed by SYRIZA and supported by the New Left for the position of President of the Hellenic Republic in 2025, though she was ultimately not elected. In recent months, she has organized several meetings focused on the future of a center-left alliance, which she has described as needing to be a “winning ballot.” Another common well-respected politician, the Former Deputy Prime Minister in the SYRIZA government (2015-2019), Yannis Dragasakis, has also shared his perspective on the progressive political future of Greece. Mr. Dragasakis emphasized that any new political formation must emerge through meaningful processes and participatory mechanisms. He believes a unifying initiative can begin with existing political forces, but it should ultimately aim to create a new political entity—or at the very least, not rule out that possibility.
The governing non-transparent handlings over the Tempi crash and the surveillance scandal triggered the height of public outrage against the current government in Greece. However, given the current political landscape, no single opposition party appears strong enough to surpass New Democracy and secure victory in the next elections, despite the exceptional rise of Ms. Konstantopoulou’s Course of Freedom. Therefore, a new approach is needed in Greek politics. A coordinated center-left alliance, either through existing parties or the creation of a new political entity, grounded in shared values and built through structured, inclusive dialogue, would offer the most viable response to the current democratic deficit. If progressive forces fail to seize this moment, Greece risks entering the next electoral cycle without a credible alternative, thereby perpetuating a cycle of public frustration and political stagnation.
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