Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras made a statement heavy with symbolism and a stern tone, marking 52 years since the restoration of democracy in Greece.

The former prime minister stressed that democracy should not be taken for granted, while criticizing the way the country’s institutions are functioning. He also pointed to the country’s social and economic conditions and to the government’s handling of national issues.

He noted that 52 years ago, the hopes of the Greek people were tied to Konstantinos Karamanlis, and said that both the restoration of democracy and Greece’s accession to the then-EEC vindicated that historic choice.

“Today we must ask ourselves whether our democracy is truly functioning. Democracy without popular participation is crippled. Democracy undermined by weak institutions is neutered. A democracy built on an economy that serves very few, with intense social discontent, a troubled education system, an agricultural crisis, and a devaluation of life, work, and citizens’ safety, is a democracy in trouble,” Samaras added in his statement.

He also placed particular emphasis on national issues, pointing to Turkish revisionism and the creation of new faits accomplis, which he said are fostering a climate of “national pessimism.” “At the same time, Hellenism is being tested, from our Cyprus, which remains the only European country with territory under occupation, to Syria, where the Christian population is under persecution. Unfortunately, following Hagia Sophia, developments at the Monastery of Sinai are also negative,” he added.

Samaras concluded: “Democracy must not be taken for granted, nor treated as a given. Because what we consider a given, we stop valuing, and we risk losing it. We all have a duty to safeguard it, every day. Only through the genuine functioning of democracy can Greece find its way again. Today, then, is a day of national reflection, not celebration.”