With the overriding goal of governing the country, Maria Karystianou presented her party, “Hope for Democracy”, from the Olympion Theatre in Thessaloniki yesterday (21.5.26).
Many people rushed to stand by Maria Karystianou’s side, although the turnout was below the expectations of the organizers. Empty chairs at Karystianou’s party presentation testified that the crowd’s presence was not what was expected.
This, of course, did not stop Maria Karystianou and colleagues from presenting the party’s founding declaration as planned.
Maria Karystianou, who lost her daughter Marti in the Tempi accident, tried to link the new political project with the social wave of reactions that followed the fatal accident in Tempi, stressing from the podium that “today the Hope for Democracy is born” and that “society will not allow the trivialisation of the country”.
Maria Karystianou called for the independence of the judiciary, the abolition of privileges and “unjustified”, faster administration of justice and the separation of the judiciary from the executive.
“There cannot be two-tier citizens. Democracy without justice is a blank letter,” he said, calling on citizens to actively participate and not to seek “messiahs”.
The tragedy of Tempe was the focus of her speech several times. “The tragic crime of Tempe highlighted the need for safety in transport,” she said, and in one of the most moving moments of the evening, she said: “Standing beside me are those who died unjustly.”
The founding declaration includes positions on public administration, the economy and institutions.
Among other things, Maria Karystianou was quoted:
The founding document states:
- to zero tolerance of corruption,
- to the control of public procurement,
- to transparency in the banking system,
- protection of the first home,
- and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
He spoke about tackling cartels, strengthening labour rights and productive reconstruction of the country.
Special reference was made to the demographic problem, which he described as “the biggest threat in the coming years”, and he stood on supporting the family, young people, public education and the NHS.
In the field of foreign policy, he said that Greece “must not act as a follower of foreign partners”, stressing the need to defend national sovereignty on the basis of international law.
Avgerinos and Moutsatou
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Journalist Thanasis Avgerinos and actress Katerina Moutsatsou presented the event. Thanasis Avgerinos, giving a political tinge to the event, referred to Dostoevsky’s play “Crime and Punishment”, saying that “those who have committed crimes should know that punishment is approaching”.
For her part, Katerina Moutsatsou spoke about the economic crisis and the need for the presence of “clean people” in public life.
During the evening, videos of support from Greeks of the diaspora, scientists, farmers and people connected to the Tempi affair were shown.
Long delay
The event started about an hour late, while a giant screen was set up outside the Olympion. For an hour, in fact, empty seats even remained inside the hall.
Songs with strong symbolism, such as “Zorbas”, “Perigiali to krypto” and “And here is my brother” were played, while the song “Mia once” by Dimitris Korgiolas with the participation of Katerina Moutsatsou was also screened.
The close circle of Maria Karystianou’s associates reportedly includes lawyer Maria Gratsia, former MP Nikos Galanos, Yannis Hadjientoniou, journalist Thanasis Avgerinos and businessman Stratos Siourdakis.
The new political venture is also supported by Maria Christina Baklava, founder of NOEMA Solutions, while businessman Yannis Moysidis also appears close to the new entity.
