Κεντροδεξιά ιδεολογία και Νέα Δημοκρατία: Η πρόκληση και οι προοπτικές της συντηρητικής παράταξης

Abstract

Within the european context, the 1990s is characterized by the predominance of the social democrats at the party level, whereas at the ideological level the emphasis has now shifted more towards the ideas and the basic principles of the liberal, center-right ideology. This article underlines the changes that marked Greek society in the 1990s, especially as regards its political and ideological orientation, and investigates the possible influences of these changes in shaping the party political arena, focusing on the CentreRight. It is argued that in order for New Democracy, as the foremost political representative of the conservative camp, to successfully undertake the unification and representation of the political forces of the center-right in Greece, it should cope with two very important issues: first, it should present a specific and convincing political and ideological platform with respect to the society it envisages and, second, it should itself «first and foremost» honour its declarations, on the one hand, by trusting and mobilizing political personnel really committed to the party’s declarations and, on the other, by getting rid of all those outmoded and anachronistic elements that have so far deprived New Democracy from undertaking such a protagonistic role.