ND leader seeks to attract young blood to party

After media team revamp, Mitsotakis says he’s determined to inject new life into ranks of New Democracy

Pushing forward with a drive to revamp New Democracy, the leader of the main conservative opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday stressed the importance of the party changing with the times and bringing in new blood.

“I respect and honor old cadres who stood by us in the good times and the bad,” he said.

“But I also recognize the need to open the door to new people,” he added, noting that bringing in new blood from beyond the party ranks is an important way of bridging the gap between the party and society.

“Society regards [political] parties as closed mechanisms which require personal connections if they are to be accessed,” he said. “I was and I am determined to change this,” he said, adding that the two key words driving his campaign are “opportunities” and “evaluation.” He underlined the need for new arrivals to have had “a life before politics.”

Last week Mitsotakis announced a revamp of New Democracy’s media department, an overhaul that had been on the cards for some time which is aimed at signaling renewal within the party.

A few days after the shake-up of ND’s media department, Mitsotakis unveiled a 12-strong team of new advisers aimed at bolstering the party’s bid to embrace a fresh, forward-looking approach.

The advisers are all technocrats who have already worked closely with Mitsotakis at one time or another and they have been tasked with focusing their efforts on boosting the work of the party’s shadow ministers and challenging the policies and governance of the leftist-led administration more effectively.

The changes in the ranks of the main opposition party come as cadres prepare for ND’s conference, which is scheduled to take place on December 16 and 17.