Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis mounted a sharp defense of his centralized governance model, telling a New Democracy pre-congress gathering that Greece's economic transformation would have been impossible without the executive structure that a small but notable group of his own lawmakers have publicly questioned.
Speaking in Nauplio, Mr. Mitsotakis addressed a rare act of internal dissent — a letter signed by five New Democracy MPs criticizing the concentration of power within the prime minister's inner circle.
He dismissed concerns that technocratic efficiency marginalizes elected officials and made clear that internal disagreements belong behind closed doors, not in public, ahead of the 2027 elections.
"If anyone believes that €36 billion from the Recovery Fund could have been invested for the benefit of Greek citizens without a strong executive state and tight coordination, let them come and tell me," Mr. Mitsotakis said. He credited the model for delivering the fastest public debt reduction in modern global history and driving the digital transformation of the Greek state.
The prime minister also pointed to concrete social gains he attributed to centralized decision-making, including the digital labor card — designed to eliminate undeclared work — and the removal of pension cuts for working retirees.
On healthcare, he acknowledged persistent problems in the national health system while arguing that the public's day-to-day experience is improving despite what he called negative media framing.
"We are one team," Mr. Mitsotakis told delegates, signaling a closing of ranks before the party's official congress in mid-May.
Looking further ahead, he said that by 2030 — the 200th anniversary of the modern Greek state — Greece must have shed its structural inefficiencies for good through sustained strategic planning from the center.