Maria Karystianou faces a mass exodus of more than 20 key officials from her Hope for Democracy party alongside a 43.5 per cent poll drop.
The Greek political movement, which Karystianou launched in May 2026, saw its polling support fall below 7.5 per cent in late July after reaching 13.10 per cent two months earlier.
Speaking on MEGA television on Monday morning, Karystianou defended the party and warned that individuals who make unfounded public accusations will face legal consequences. She said that people join her movement to take a photograph and gain public visibility before being approached by the political system days later.
High profile resignations and party backlash
The resignations began after party press spokesman Thanasis Avgerinos announced his departure on July 29, 2026. Avgerinos later posted sarcastic social media messages featuring artificial intelligence images of a hippie van with a Bob Marley portrait and ambulance lights, stating he was simply going on vacation.
Avgerinos also posted a photograph of the cover of the book Danger of Hope by Antonis Samarakis, adding a caption stating that those whom the Lord wishes to destroy he first makes mad. He mocked claims of leadership hijacking, writing sarcastically that a top behind the scenes figure intervened to prevent a plan to kidnap the party leadership.
Agricultural unionist and fisherman Takis Kotsorgios from Missolonghi submitted an open resignation letter on August 4, 2026. Kotsorgios accused party leadership of violating internal democracy, stating that members were forbidden from holding elections for a regional coordinating committee in Aetolia-Acarnania.
Kotsorgios said the party operated with appointed rather than elected officials and prioritized election campaigning over policy dialogue. He added that the movement had become a person-centered entity with an intolerance for democratic procedures.
Former official Kostas Dountoulakis also resigned while criticizing an authoritarian personal directorate controlled by Karystianou and party associate Maria Gratsia. Karystianou responded on television that she did not know Dountoulakis and claimed he had contributed nothing to the movement before leaving.
The group of departing members grew from 22 to 24 within days. Other key figures who left include accident investigator Vasilis Kokotsakis, actress and activist Katerina Moutsatsou, former New Democracy member Asterios Gerogiannis, former municipal councilor Giannis Chatzistogiannis, official Ioannidou, and retired Air Chief Marshal Athanasios Papanikolaou.
Internal structure and leadership influence
Resigning members highlighted the central influence of lawyer Maria Gratsia within the party council. Gratsia, who ran as a parliamentary candidate for the Niki party in Athens A in 2023 and has professional ties to the Church of Greece, acts as deputy leader with decisive influence over decisions.
Avgerinos questioned whether the party was guided by a parallel press office and suspicious corridor advisors. He noted that nearly the entire Tempi movement remained outside Hope for Democracy, concluding that the party was dying.
In response, the party political council issued statements declaring unanimous support for Karystianou. Leadership described the resignations as malicious and coordinated attempts to subvert the movement and hijack its leadership from within.
The party leadership also criticized media coverage, questioning why news outlets focused daily on a single departing member from Missolonghi while major political developments occurred elsewhere in Greece. The statement pointed to internal friction in PASOK, member losses in SYRIZA, and more than 1,000 New Democracy figures aligning with Antonis Samaras.
Polling slump and public perception
A Marc survey conducted for Proto Thema during the last week of July 2026 placed Hope for Democracy in fifth place with 7.4 per cent of the vote. The party trailed New Democracy, ELAS, PASOK, and Greek Solution.
One month earlier, a Marc poll showed the party at 10.5 per cent, sharing third place with PASOK. The loss of more than three percentage points over four weeks represented a 29.5 per cent reduction in its polling strength.
The drop represents a sharp turn from late March 2026, when a survey measured voter support for a potential Karystianou party at 30.6 per cent. In that poll, 9.6 per cent of respondents said they would definitely vote for her and 21 per cent said they probably would, outpolling figures like Alexis Tsipras before either had launched their party vehicles.
Karystianou initially gained national prominence as one of 57 bereaved parents following the fatal Tempi train crash. Prior to the tragedy, she worked as a pediatrician specializing in alternative treatments including metabolomics, quantum medicine, cognitive homeopathy, functional medicine, neurofeedback, and lactation consulting, without prior involvement in public administration.
Controversies and association split
Public scrutiny of Karystianou intensified following several controversial public statements and property disclosures. In early July 2026, reports surfaced regarding a small apartment acquired at auction by a company linked to Karystianou and her former partner. She defended the purchase as legally sound and rejected claims of moral inconsistency, describing the reports as an attempt at blackmail.
Karystianou also drew criticism over foreign policy comments in which she called the government failure to veto Turkey upgrade an act of national treason. The claim overlooked the fact that NATO mechanisms do not include a veto option for member states Greece and Turkey.
Her statements echoed earlier actions in June 2025, when she filed a lawsuit for high treason against 14 New Democracy members of parliament and demanded the lifting of their parliamentary immunity. She had also repeatedly accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of high treason.
In February 2026, Karystianou sparked debate by stating that abortion should be a matter for public consultation. Political communications advisor Nikos Karahalios also engaged in a public dispute and legal battle with her, while reports in May 2026 alleged influence within her inner circle by an Aramaic-speaking Syrian elder woman and an astrologer.
Tensions also culminated in Karystianou resignation from the Tempi Victims Relatives Association in mid-January 2026. She cited internal division and party-driven interference, while remaining association members stated that her political party ambitions were incompatible with leading a non-political victim support group.
The split deepened after victim relative Nikos Plakias, who lost two daughters and a niece in the Tempi crash, raised questions about financial transparency surrounding funds from an October 2024 memorial concert at Kallimarmaro stadium. The dispute reached its low point when Karystianou served Plakias with an extrajudicial legal notice.
