Party in Greece

Maria Vassilakou is back on the political stage

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

For a long time, things had been relatively quiet around Vienna's former energetic Deputy Mayor Maria Vassilakou (Greens). But now she is back on the political stage - and is setting her sights on the EU elections with a newly founded party. However, Vassilakou will not be standing as a candidate herself, as she emphasizes. 

According to its co-founders, the new party "Kosmos", which was founded in February, is a democratically oriented party. It is strictly opposed to right-wing populism and wants to be a member of the European "green family".

"Will not be a protest party"
The main features of the party were first presented by Green MEP Petros Kokkalis and the two co-founders, Maria Vassilakou and Lefteris Papagiannakis, at a press conference in February. The party wants to take part in European, local and national elections and is striving for a "green social contract" with Greek citizens. This should focus on tackling climate change with social justice "so that no one is left behind".

Petros Kokkalis and Maria Vassilakou in an Instagram photo:

"We will not be a protest party," Kokkalis emphasized. He referred to the need to unify the ecological space and focus on the urgency of climate action: "We can no longer be a green sign, but we can form a green pole because the climate crisis is a real event."

Voters in search of alternatives
According to a recent survey by the opinion research institute Opinion Poll, 49% of respondents in Greece stated that they are very likely to vote for a different party in the upcoming European elections than they did in last year's parliamentary elections. 45.5 percent consider this to be unlikely or not at all likely. Domestic policy (36.9%), the political positions of the parties (28.2%) and European issues (16.9%) are likely to influence voting decisions in the European elections in June.

This encourages the "Kosmos" members. Almost two months before the European elections, the green political wing appears to be gaining ground, as the "Greens-Ecology" party is joining forces with "Kosmos" and its electoral list under the leadership of Green MEP Kokkalis. Vassiliki Grammatikogianni, candidate for the European Parliament and co-chair of the "Greens-Ecology" movement, will co-chair the campaign and a total of eight members of "Greens-Ecology" will run on the "Kosmos" ballot.

"Green Alliance in Greece"
"This is a decisive step that lays the foundation for a strong green alliance in Greece. Both parties have a common denominator in terms of policies for social and climate justice, fighting economic inequality, but also tackling environmental issues such as the climate crisis and its impact on society, the economy, biodiversity and natural resources," said Elias Papatheodorou, press officer of "Kosmos".

The people now on the party's electoral list will campaign for climate justice and the strengthening of the green voice in Greece and Europe, with a fair green transition of the country and the elimination of social inequalities at the top of their political agenda.

Survey results still room for improvement
In the polls available so far, however, "Kosmos" has not achieved any relevant percentages. However, it is still too early to make a conclusive assessment and the messages about the environment and the climate crisis could be an important factor in appealing to voters. Under certain conditions, "Kosmos" could be a surprise in the upcoming European elections.