Samaras Emphasizes Ties to Community in US

Theodore Kalmoukos

AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
Greece's conservative leader of New Democracy Antonis Samaras delivers a speech to his party members at the Zappeio conference hall in Athens, Thursday, May 3, 2012. Samaras who joined the majority Socialists in a coalition for the past six months, is leading in opinion polls but is facing a strong challenge from rightist splinter parties and a fascist party that have campaigned heavily on illegal immigration in the crisis-hit country.

ATHENS – The New Democracy Party (ND) president Antonis Samaras, just days prior to the most important and critical national elections in Greece, granted an exclusive interview to TNH, praising the ethos, the quality, the strengths, and the achievements of the Greek-American Community. Samaras had spent quite a number of years doing undergraduate and graduate work in Boston. He looked back on those years fondly and acknowledged how much he was influenced by Greek-American life. Samaras emphasized that merely establishing a government in Greece is not enough. “Governmental collaborations do not produce stability. They produce standstill. You cannot change everything when you have to negotiate every step. Consent is required, but decisions must be made quickly and implemented with consistency.” He also said that besides gridlock, consensus governments also create instability, because they are fragile.

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May 03, 2012

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Monday, May 20, 2013 Last Update: 12:28 PM ET