ATHENS – Adding to a plethora of political parties in Greece, former PASOK Socialist Minster Andreas Loverdos has created another – Democrats – that will make its entry in the June elections for European Parliament seats.

In a video on social media, the 67-year-old said his party would be “patriotic, popular, politically liberal, modernist-minded, digital, pluralistic,” pledging to advocate “for our country, the European Union, and the citizens of Europe.”

It was shot near the Evros River border with Turkey, a spot where refugees and migrants try to cross, many drowning in the perilous waters, a location chosen symbolically to represent how Ancient Greeks kept out invaders.

“I convey a message from a border region that Greeks safeguard akin to another Thermopylae; where, in 2020, we repelled an invasion attempt. This message extends to all Europeans: only through unity and security can we effectively strive for the revival of the European Union,” he said.

That was apparently prompted by Turkey, which is holding some 4.4 million refugees and immigrants, mainly from the Mideast, saying it would no longer try to prevent them from getting into the EU – mainly through Greece.

That would violate terms of an essentially suspended 2016 swap deal with the EU in which Turkey is supposed to contain refugees and migrants in return for concessions that haven’t been fully given – and human traffickers sending more to Greece.

“With vigor, moderation, and common sense, we Democrats embark on this endeavor, for a better Greece that resides within us,” he said. He was long a veteran of PASOK but broke away after failing to win a seat in the Greek Parliament in 2023 elections.