Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has launched a concerted effort to contain growing dissent within New Democracy, issuing a second stern warning in 24 hours to restless lawmakers while defending the centralized governance model that has become a flashpoint of internal friction.
The push for discipline follows a week of open grumbling from MPs who feel sidelined by the concentration of power within the prime minister's inner circle.
During a cabinet meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis drew a firm constitutional line between executive and legislative functions, telling party members to stop conflating the two.
"The executive state concerns us — the executive branch — not the legislature," he said. "The duties of the government and Parliament are clearly defined by the Constitution."
The intervention comes as a Metron Analysis poll for Mega TV shows New Democracy's support falling to 28.6 percent, down from 31.1 percent last month.
The party retains a double-digit lead over PASOK, but the downward trend threatens its prospects of winning a parliamentary majority at the next election.
Government officials dismissed talk of organized rebellion, describing the parliamentary group as resilient.
But aides acknowledged that internal strife at this moment hands ammunition to what they characterized as a "toxic" opposition — a vulnerability Mr. Mitsotakis appears determined to eliminate before the party's national congress on May 17.
"We solve our differences within our walls," he said — a signal that while grievances will be heard, his core governance model is not open for negotiation.