Tasoulas urges end to division and calls on wealthy Greeks to fund regeneration at democracy anniversary reception
President Konstantinos Tasoulas used the 52nd anniversary of the restoration of democracy to call for an end to political division and urge wealthy Greeks to fund national regeneration, as 1,700 guests gathered inside the Presidential Mansion after heavy rain forced the event indoors.
Venue change and guest list
Heavy rain across Attica forced the 52nd anniversary reception for the restoration of Greek democracy indoors on the evening of 24 July 2026. Instead of the Presidential Mansion garden, about 1,700 guests gathered in the main reception hall of the Herod Atticus Mansion. President Konstantinos Tasoulas, accompanied by his wife Fani Stathopoulou, welcomed attendees at the entrance, while his meeting with party leaders was moved to the first-floor salon.
By decision of the President, spouses of political leaders, ministers, and MPs were invited again after a multi-year absence that began during the Papoulias presidency under crisis-era restrictions. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended with his wife Mareva Grabowski. Also present were PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumpas, Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis, former presidents Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Katerina Sakellaropoulou, former prime minister George Papandreou, and EU Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas. The guest list included the top two scorers in the Panhellenic exams (Giorgos Myriadis with 19.80 and Andreas Oikonomopoulos with 19.75), F-16 pilot Giorgos Chatzopoulos who executed an emergency landing in Zakynthos, and teacher Panagiota Diamanti.
Several political figures declined the invitation: SYRIZA parliamentary group head Rena Dourou, Greek Solution leader Kyriakos Velopoulos (who sent MP Vasilis Viliardos as representative), NIKI leader Dimitris Natsios, Plefsi Eleftherias leader Zoe Konstantopoulou, and New Left leader Gavriil Sakellaridis. Former prime ministers Antonis Samaras, Kostas Karamanlis, and Alexis Tsipras were also absent.
Call to end political division
In his speech, Tasoulas delivered a pointed critique of the domestic political climate, warning that the legacy of the crisis years still lingers.
The sharp division that characterized the crisis era caused consequences from which we have not yet recovered. The previous decade must become a lesson for the political class and the people: the main lesson is that confrontation must recede where the hard core of national interest begins.
He stressed that democracy must show zero tolerance to violence and that citizens must exercise self-restraint to safeguard normality. Turning to the political class, he added a direct admonition.
We cannot ask for unity when we cultivate division, nor moderation when we ourselves do not observe moderation first.
Appeal to wealthy Greeks
Beyond political unity, the President addressed the country's economic elite, arguing that state machinery alone cannot drive national regeneration. He called on affluent Greeks to assume a larger role in funding initiatives for the common good.
Strong Greeks must systematically support initiatives for the country's regeneration. They must also realize that wealth is not justified unless part of it is transformed into benefaction for the common good.
Cyprus and the border arc
Tasoulas framed the nation's identity within a geographic arc stretching from the Evros region to Cyprus, declaring that the heart of Hellenism beats strongest along that border. He reaffirmed that the top and non-negotiable national goal of the post-junta Metapolitefsi era remains the lifting of the consequences of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, describing it as the only strategy that guarantees both economic progress and national security.
Education and poetry
Closing his remarks, the President linked national resilience to the upgrading of education and made a specific plea for exposing young people to poetry.
Let us give young people access to poetry. Poetry arms the spirit with simple codes of ethos, logic, and faith. Codes useful for fighting with greater effectiveness and greater dignity.
The evening was accompanied by the Navy band performing works by Xarchakos, Theodorakis, Hatzidakis, and Savvopoulos alongside international repertoire, while the menu was curated by the Presidency's award-winning chef Vasilis Bekas.
