Back on Earth, the political ground is shifting in Greece. A massive fraud scandal at OPEKEPE — the country’s agricultural subsidy payment agency — has forced the resignation of multiple government ministers and sent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis scrambling for damage control.
In a televised address, Mitsotakis pledged to confront what he called a “deep state” entrenched in Greek governance, describing the revelations as a “turning point” that strengthened his resolve to root out corruption. “I am trying to transform Greece into a modern European state,” he said, acknowledging the country’s longstanding clientelist system.
The Guardian was less charitable, characterizing the address as “evasion and communications management,” according to a summary published by Tanea. Meanwhile, former OPEKEPE president Dimitris Melas, now a defendant in the case, told OPEN TV that certain members of parliament had been “pressuring” the agency on their requests — suggesting the scandal may have political tentacles extending well beyond the bureaucracy.
The political fallout is measurable. A new Alco poll for Alpha TV placed New Democracy at 23.8% in voting intention — down slightly but still holding an 11.8-point lead over PASOK. Perhaps more significantly, 15% of respondents said they would consider voting for Maria Karystianou, a bereaved parent from the 2023 Tempi train disaster who recently announced a new political party. Speaking of which, the Tempi trial itself continued in Larissa, with a file containing 73 new documents about the controversial backfilling of the crash site introduced as evidence for the first time — material not previously included in the case file. Only three of 36 defendants appeared in court, angering victims’ families.
