It was not exactly a phone call that would pass unnoticed in the political corridors.
Following the resignation of Stavros Benos from the Evros Reconstruction Committee and the pointed remarks he directed at government policy, his telephone rang.
On the other end of the line was Antonis Samaras.
The two men are linked, among other things, by their shared origins from Kalamata, but this time the discussion carried clear political interest as well, given that the former prime minister has always kept lines of communication open with figures like Benos, regardless of political background.
«They talked it through» regarding Mitsotakis
According to behind-the-scenes reporting, Samaras and Benos agreed on several issues, with criticism toward Kyriakos Mitsotakis constituting one of the key points of convergence.
And here lies all the interest.
Benos is not a random individual. He is a former minister of PASOK, with a long trajectory in politics and local administration, while in recent years he had been linked to one of the largest reconstruction endeavors promoted by the government.
His departure, consequently, had already provoked discussion.
The phone call from Samaras came to add yet another, as Benos holds the bombshell dossiers for both Evros and Evia.
From the resignation to behind the scenes
Stavros Benos stepped down leaving pointed remarks regarding the trajectory of the reconstruction plan for Evros.
He spoke of a change of direction and invoked his personal dignity, while voicing concern over the fate of the Masterplan.
Shortly after, a former prime minister of ND contacts him.
Coincidence? Political courtesy? Or something more?
For the time being, no one can say that this constitutes political cooperation. And that is important.
One can say, however, that in the political corridors there is now an interesting channel of communication between two figures who, originating from different political starting points, find themselves criticizing the government.
Samaras «takes stock of» political figures
Antonis Samaras has for some time chosen a particularly aggressive political rhetoric toward the Mitsotakis government.
Whenever a figure emerges from a different political spectrum to criticize the government, the interest of the former prime minister takes on its own significance.
And the case of Benos possesses an additional characteristic: this is not a party official of ND engaged in an internal party dispute with Maximos Mansion.
It is a person who comes from another political spectrum and had been selected to serve a specific government initiative.
Kalamata brought the contact, politics made it interesting
Their shared origins from Kalamata may have provided the occasion.
The political juncture, however, is what makes the phone call interesting.
Whether there will be a continuation or if the communication will remain at the level of a personal and political exchange is something that remains to be seen.
Behind the scenes, nevertheless, they are taking note.
Because when Samaras calls Benos immediately following his resignation, the timing hardly goes unnoticed.
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