New Democracy’s non-celebrity nationwide State Deputy ballot list with 8 women and 7 men

The countdown is on for New Democracy to unveil its list for the nationwide ballot list, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meets party HQ at 10:30 in the morning with the group of fifteen, who will fill the electable and nonelectable positions. In this party “showcase” display, as the nationwide ballot is always considered, and which is the exclusive prerogative of the party leader, is led by a woman.

A portion of the 300 MP seats, no more than 1/20, may be elected not in a specified constituency but rather throughout the country at large. These are the State Deputies, whose exact number actually depends on the total electoral strength of each party.

However, everyone is talking about an overall… low-key/anti-star ballot, in the sense that celebrities and other more glamorous options are missing, as these were not based on the nationwide recognition of the faces but on their social and professional footprint.

The female representation is in any case strong, as a total of 8 women and 7 men are expected to be included, while in particular in the first six – potentially electable – positions there is an equal presence of men and women.

Party leader Mitsotakis aims for a… projection in the future. In other words, he wants to show that he is taking a first step in the process of appointing more women to positions of responsibility and to the next government structure, if the center-right faction achieves its electoral goals. In 2019, New Democracy had elected five state deputies with only one woman, the late Marietta Giannakou.

The persons on the ballot

In particular, according to all the information, the general secretary of Public Health Irini Agapidaki and former national coordinator for unaccompanied refugee children is in an electable position. It is not excluded that she herself will lead the ticket, although the “identity” of the first place was kept secret until the last moment by Mitsotakis’ close associates.

Another woman who is expected to be in the top six is Maria – Nefeli Hatziioannidou, who was inspired and runs the “Wonderful Women” project since 2019. It is now an Non-Profit Organization, which aims “to empower and encourage women to participate and create actions that have a positive social impact”.

Last November, in the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Hatziioannidou coordinated an event, in the presence of the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and the Prime Minister, with the speakers being the co-responsible ministers of Labor and Social Affairs, Citizen Protection, and Justice. Also in April 2021, Deputy Minister Maria Syregela awarded Hatziioannidou with the Social Responsibility award as part of the Greek International Women Awards. “We must reward and promote as models of good behavior citizens with social action and broader social sensitivities,” said the deputy minister at the time.

Two ministers and a sec. gen.

Deputy Finance Minister Thodoris Skylakakis is sure to be in the top six. He himself had taken the position of the late Marietta Giannakou and anyway he had not completed a full term, according to Mitsotakis’ reasoning. And in any case the minister is in the prime minister’s circle of confidants, who recognizes the work of his close associate.

Most likely, the electable position of the representative of diaspora Greeks is occupied by the Minister of Civil Protection Christos Stylianidis, another person whom Mitsotakis values, considering the climate crisis agenda to be crucial for tomorrow anyway. The decision to establish an autonomous ministry says a lot.

In addition, in the program of New Democracy for the next four years there are commitments for a “new Fire Brigade”: design of the new structure and its mode of operation, recruitment of 500 new executives, upgrade of the integrated incident management information system and the Fire Department’s fleet, supply of amphibious fire-fighting aircraft for the island complexes, 5 +2 new type Canadair as well as large scale fire engines.

Mitsotakis seeks similarly strong messages by choosing the general secretary of Solidarity and Combating Poverty, George Stamatis. Competent sources spoke of recognition of his effective “but also quiet” work.

Veteran

As for the last place of honor on the nationwide ballot, the proposal was made to the “gunpowder-smoked” Antonis Sgardelis, former general director of the ND, for many years a close associate of Konstantinos Mitsotakis but also a “man” of Karamanlis.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledges Sgardelis’ “enormous contribution to the faction” with “industriousness and always with discretion”. With the ballot box of the simple representation system set for May 21, Mitsotakis is betting on prty unity and intergenerational mobilization. This is evidenced by his presence a few days ago in a closed gathering of former MPs and old party officials in a central hotel in Athens.

Awaiting official announcements, prime ministerial aides have been talking about openings in society, as well as an effort to highlight “everyday” people as well as younger ages. The same sources said that “among the 15 names” there are references to key axes of Mitsotakis’ “vision” for the next four years: “productive Greece”, academia, civil society, and health.