While the Franco-Greek summit projected strength abroad, the domestic political landscape in Greece is undergoing rapid change. New Democracy, the ruling party, is experiencing notable erosion in the polls, weighed down by the OPEKEPE financial dossier scandals and the so-called Lazaridis affair — a controversy involving an allegedly dubious university degree that has become a lightning rod for public frustration.
Polling data shows a “silent migration” of centre-right voters toward PASOK, while the newly formed party of Maria Karistianou has registered in surveys for the first time. The degree scandal, in particular, has touched a nerve in a country where educational credentials are taken seriously, prompting one columnist to reflect wryly that “our parents were right when they said: get the degree first, then do whatever you want.”
Adding to the sense of political theatre, Deputy Minister Adonis Georgiades pulled off what was described as an “unprecedented communications manoeuvre” — appearing simultaneously in two locations by using a hologram at the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB) while physically being in Delphi. The stunt drew both amusement and criticism.
On the economic front, the government revealed it has built a fiscal “piggy bank” of at least €1.2 billion in reserves, drawn from the 2025 surplus. With growth forecasts for 2026 revised downward to 2% (from 2.4%) and inflation climbing to 3.2% instead of the expected 2.2%, the funds are earmarked for both emergency and permanent support measures — with an eye on either the Thessaloniki International Fair or potential elections.
