Yannis Panousis, a professor of criminology and Greece's former Minister of Citizen Protection, published an opinion column on Capital.gr arguing that Greek politicians who have switched parties owe voters a clear explanation, while singling out PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis as the one major exception who has stayed loyal to his party.
The column followed the annual round of political speeches at the Thessaloniki International Fair, where, Panousis wrote, "everything and its opposite" had been said. He described the mood afterward as a mixture of joy and sorrow among Greeks: some had not realized until now how fortunate they were to have this government, while others had believed the country lacked any real opposition, given the scale of the promises on offer.
Political Speeches After the Fair
Panousis wrote that once the "bazaars" of the fair were over, party and media outlets resumed familiar tactics: dismissing opposing views, offering predictions about what comes next, pressuring institutions, recycling the same political figures, and working to avoid elevating conspiracy theorists or political extremists, including people released from prison, who present themselves as governing "for the good of the country."
The Thessaloniki International Fair is a major annual trade exhibition in northern Greece that has for decades doubled as the traditional stage for the prime minister and opposition leaders to unveil economic and policy announcements each September.
Panousis said many public figures do not appear to mean exactly what they say in these settings, suggesting some are effectively prompted by others, and that some would be better off avoiding the spotlight altogether, since no one appears innocent once in front of a camera.
His Criteria for Trustworthy Politicians
Panousis argued that Greek voters generally do not read party platforms in detail but instead rely on instinct and trust in the credibility of those speaking. Based on that premise, he set out a list of qualities voters should look for in a politician, saying they should prefer someone who:
- has never betrayed the public while in government or abandoned allies for personal gain
- belongs to a party with a democratic tradition that they respect, rather than treating it as a personal vehicle
- reports back to their party's base on their record, rather than declaring themselves an absolute and unaccountable leader
- has not been steered by private interests that promote them uncritically through friendly media
- does not change or dissolve parties depending on the political moment
- acts according to the decisions of party bodies and internal consensus
- does not play a double game of sounding left-wing while acting right-wing
- has a clean record on both honesty and on avoiding injustice against the innocent or covering up wrongdoing
- does not contradict themselves with lies or clever rhetoric
- respects the Constitution and the law at all times, not only when convenient
The Achilles Metaphor
Panousis wrote that the real question is not what weakness, or "Achilles heel," a would-be prime minister may have, but whether that person has the courage of Achilles to fight with honour and integrity, rather than simply imitating historical figures and posing as heirs to past political fighters.
He added that far-right and near-far-right currents in political life are not only bred by social racism and ideological drift toward fascism, but are also cultivated in what he called a "greenhouse of denials." For that reason, he wrote, any "shield of Achilles" in Greek politics should above all defend democracy against demagogues.
Praise for Androulakis
In a postscript, Panousis wrote that, with the exception of Nikos Androulakis, who has remained loyal to his party, other politicians who changed political course owe the Greek public a convincing explanation of when, how, and above all why they "mutated."
Androulakis has led PASOK, Greece's historic centre-left party, since 2021. Panousis did not name the other politicians he was referring to in the column.
Panousis has previously served as Greece's Minister of Citizen Protection, the ministry responsible for police and public order, and writes a regular column for Capital.gr.
