No real question of succession
It really is quite inappropriate and also quite pointless getting involved in a discussion at this point, as so many people are, about who will succeed Costas Karamanlis at the helm of the ruling New Democracy party. One the one hand, Karamanlis right now is in the middle of implementing a complicated financial rescue plan and he needs to have the support of his entire party if it is to succeed, especially in light of the international challenges that the country is facing. On the other hand, there really is no one from within the ranks of New Democracy that can stand up and say with any confidence that they can challenge the prime minister at this point. Therefore, the question of succession, whether it arose simply as a blunder on the part of New Democracy’s public relations machine or was a product of the rumor mill, needs to be put to rest as soon as possible, quite simply because speculation about the power structure of the ruling party really is the last thing that Greece needs in these challenging times.
