The ambition of a new New Democracy that would recruit talent through an “executive list” has remained in limbo. Ultimately, the model of the “executive state” was established by bypassing the party structure entirely. It was built on the expectation that technocratic competence alone would generate political legitimacy, removing the need for “intermediaries” – the MPs who toil to secure every vote.
Now, as the reserves of legitimacy dwindle, the party is reasserting its importance. Technocratic expertise is often framed as incompatible with political instinct, despite real examples where the two have been successfully synthesized. This synthesis should, in fact, be the ultimate goal: injecting the party with professionalism and scientific rigor, while ensuring technocrats are “anointed” at the ballot box. Politics is not inherently destined to be clientelistic, nor can reform progress solely through an enlightened elite that remains estranged from society.