Kostas Ntoudoulakis leaves Elpida gia ti Dimokratia party

Kostas Ntoudoulakis has announced his departure from the political party 'Elpida gia ti Dimokratia' (Hope for Democracy), led by Maria Karystianou. In a public statement addressed to the Chania Citizens Group, Ntoudoulakis criticized the party's leadership, describing the management as "authoritarianly personalistic" and accusing the leadership of Karystianou and Gratsia of refusing to establish a formal statute or follow democratic procedures.

Maria Karystianou responded to the departures by stating she will not accept "extortion" and suggested there had been attempts at "incitement" within the party. She defended the party's decision-making process through its Political Council and claimed that the departures were a reaction to the party's goal of national restructuring. Karystianou also noted that some individuals who recently left were merely "simple friends" whom she had never personally met.