Greece is facing a second election on June 25, for now with a caretaker government, while the parties prepare for the final battle of the ballot box. At the same time, both in Greece and abroad, many continue to analyze the reasons that led to the impressive first victory with a margin of 20% of New Democracy over SYRIZA.

In an interview with DW, Jürgen Hardt, an experienced member of parliament of the Christian Democrats with many years of political career in the Merkel governments and currently representative for Foreign Policy issues of K.O. of the Christian Democrats/Christian Socialists (CDU/CSU) comments and analyzes the result of the ballot box and specifically the “spectacular victory” according to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung by Kyriakos Mitsotakis. We met him in the German parliament during a break from plenary work.

Greeks voted for the “winning team”

“When we were discussing the upcoming elections in Greece in the political group of the EPP, to which the ND also belongs, some of us expected a good result, because the record of this government is impressive, if you look at the unemployment or growth figures Jürgen Hardt reports and adds: “As a German and a foreign politician, I think it was also impressive that we saw how this government invested in the process of de-escalating the conflict with Turkey. Although not yet resolved, we are on a much more positive path than a few years ago. So maybe the Greeks decided not to change a winning team. And I think that the next round will also show a clear majority for Mitsotakis.”

But what are the particular characteristics that contributed to the victory of Kyriakos Mitsotakis? Jürgen Hard answers: “I think he chose a pragmatic approach to various challenges, various problems that he identified in the country. And thanks to his parliamentary majority, strong support from the parliament and perhaps from the people, he managed to make some important changes. And now it’s reaping the rewards. Ten years ago, when I was young in the German parliament and we were discussing the state of the Greek economy and the Eurocrisis, there were many who said that Greece would fail. That keeping Greece in the Eurozone ‘is a failure and will not work’. In the end we learned a lot from Greek politics, not only from New Democracy but also from other parties. There was a strong mood to overcome the crisis and that was good.”

ND “largest center-right party”… until further notice

On the night of his victory in the May 21 elections, Kyriakos Mitsotakis had declared, among other things, that based on the election result “ND is the largest center-right party in Europe”. We asked the German MP if this could mean a “blank cheque” or less criticism in the future from the EU and Germany. Jürgen Hard answers: “We are seeing a recovery of the center-right parties in Germany (ss: according to recent polls). We saw a similar development in Bulgaria with former Commissioner Gabriel, also from the EPP, as in some other countries. But we will continue to monitor developments.”

And he continues in response to DW: “We want a strong centre-right party, firmly committed to European values, European integration, solidarity with those under pressure, for example in Ukraine, with a clear commitment to human rights, the rule of law, independent media. I am sure that Greece will be a positive example for this big family. And I hope that the German sister parties CDU/CSU will also prove in the next German elections that they are the strongest Christian Democratic Party in Europe. But until then it is New Democracy”.

“One day the Greeks will build ‘Merkel Street'”

Referring, finally, to the image that the Christian Democrats, the party of Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schäuble, have of today’s Greece in relation to the image of the previous decade, Jürgen Hard observes: “Ten years ago, almost no one had predicted that things would work as well as they do now.”

In fact, a personal evaluation of the former German chancellor’s contribution to the rescue of Greece and the preservation of the fragile unity in the eurozone is also underway. As he characteristically notes: “Some were very critical, especially in Germany, of Angela Merkel’s overall policy to save the euro and keep Greece in the eurozone group. Greece was then perhaps the weakest country in the Eurozone. But what matters is that he decided to keep it in the euro. He demanded many harsh actions in Greece. He was accused of this in Greece. But I believe that one day the Greeks may call a street in Athens ‘Merkel Street’. Because in the long run they will understand that this was the right path for Greece to take in this crisis and not other proposals”.