Government both dominant and fragile

Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government find themselves in an enviable but precarious position - both dominant and fragile at the same time. They have no rival at the party level but face the critical mass of the country's problems, which were highlighted in the most tragic fashion by the train collision at Tempe and all that has followed.

The government has no one to fear but itself. Last year's election triumph was an expression of the people's need for stability. But this vote was not a blank check, as the loud message of the second round of local elections proved - when almost all candidates backed by the government lost. By promising stability, the government "owns" everything that shakes citizens' confidence, whether the problem is inflation or the dysfunction of state services and institutions. This is natural, as Mitsotakis and New Democracy convinced most voters in...