Mitsotakis reiterates push for single-party government, rules out coalition scenarios

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has again presented a self-sufficient New Democracy government as his preferred governing scenario for the next parliamentary elections, while ruling out cooperation with the parties led by Kyriakos Velopoulos and Afroditi Latinopoulou.

Speaking to ERTnews on September 17, Mitsotakis said political stability would be a central issue in the next election and argued that a single-party New Democracy government was currently the only realistic governing proposal.

His comments came as Greece moves toward the next parliamentary elections, which Mitsotakis has said will be held in 2027. In recent remarks, he has repeatedly linked single-party government with political stability and the ability to take decisions without coalition negotiations.

Mitsotakis rules out cooperation with Velopoulos and Latinopoulou
Asked directly about the possibility of forming a government with the parties associated with Kyriakos Velopoulos and Afroditi Latinopoulou, Mitsotakis rejected the scenario.

“There is no such possibility,” he said when asked whether such an arrangement could follow the elections.

He also addressed the possibility of cooperation with PASOK, including potential approaches to individual PASOK lawmakers. Rather than ruling out every form of future political engagement, Mitsotakis described such a discussion as premature.

The prime minister has previously argued that other opposition parties have ruled out cooperation with New Democracy, leaving a single-party government as the realistic option from his perspective.

Political stability at the centre of election strategy
Mitsotakis said that the next election should be viewed in the context of an unsettled international environment and argued that Greece would need a government capable of taking decisions quickly.

He rejected the characterization of his position as an ultimatum to voters, saying that a self-sufficient New Democracy government was a realistic prospect rather than a certainty. He also pointed to the party’s election results in 2019 and 2023, when New Democracy secured parliamentary majorities after polling had, according to Mitsotakis, underestimated its eventual performance.

At the September 2026 Thessaloniki International Fair press conference, Mitsotakis had likewise described self-sufficiency as the political solution he considered necessary for a stable government after the next election.

Criticism of opposition programmes
Mitsotakis also renewed his criticism of the economic proposals of opposition parties, particularly PASOK and the New Left (NEA), arguing that their programmes lacked sufficient financial backing.

He has repeatedly questioned whether opposition proposals can be funded within Greece’s available fiscal resources. During his recent Thessaloniki International Fair press conference, he specifically argued that the financial calculations behind PASOK’s proposals did not add up.

In his ERTnews interview, he again argued that voters had to distinguish between political promises and proposals that could realistically be financed.

Unemployment benefits will not be abolished, Mitsotakis says
The prime minister also sought to end speculation over changes to unemployment benefits.

“Its unemployment benefit will not be cut,” Mitsotakis said, while arguing that the existing system could be strengthened and that different rules may be needed for people who repeatedly reject available jobs.

The statement followed controversy over comments by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis concerning unemployment benefits. Mitsotakis said he had “absolute confidence” in Marinakis and described him as an “excellent government spokesperson,” according to the report.

Mitsotakis declines to comment further on Samaras
Asked about former prime minister Antonis Samaras, Mitsotakis avoided expanding on the dispute following their exchanges at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

He also addressed the political significance of Ilias Kasidiaris, saying the existing legal framework was sufficient and that the issue should not be given more political attention than necessary.

Mitsotakis’ latest remarks reinforce the governing New Democracy’s stated preference for seeking a parliamentary majority in the next election, while leaving the question of possible post-election political arrangements largely dependent on the eventual parliamentary balance. His explicit rejection of cooperation with Velopoulos and Latinopoulou, however, narrows the coalition scenarios he was willing to discuss publicly in the interview.