PHOTO: Costas Karamanlis (with his wife Natasa) and director Giannis Smaragdis.
ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). Former Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis delivered a sharp and institution-focused speech at an event marking 15 years of the newspaper Demokratia. Instead of offering celebratory remarks, he highlighted what he sees as serious threats to democracy in Greece and across Europe.
Karamanlis argued that democracy today is not endangered by dramatic coups but by the silent erosion of institutions and the loss of public trust. He stressed that although democracy exists, the real question is whether it actually functions.
He described a growing perception among citizens that institutions are failing: Parliament is weakened, justice is influenced, the media are manipulated, and governments make decisions disconnected from society.
One of the most forceful parts of his speech concerned phone surveillance scandals. He said that unanswered questions around them cast a shadow over justice, warning that even doubt alone can harm democracy.
Karamanlis also broadened his critique to Europe, saying that globalization has escaped political control, that markets dominate policy, and that the middle class—the pillar of post-war democracy—is collapsing. He warned of a future where small elites live protected lives while the majority fall into insecurity, calling wealth concentration a “time bomb” under democracy.
He criticized the weakening of Parliament, arguing it should not merely rubber-stamp government decisions. He said democracy deteriorates not from one major crisis but through many minor deviations.
Karamanlis also denounced how public debate has become theatrical, superficial, and toxic, with the media serving interests rather than truth. He emphasized that no agenda is more critical than honest information.
Finally, he touched on Greek identity and national continuity, praising filmmaker Yannis Smaragdis and referencing historic divisions such as the murder of Ioannis Kapodistrias—a reminder, he implied, that external influence and internal division remain persistent dangers for Greece.
