Greece’s former Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who resigned his post on 1 March following the deadly train disaster at Tempi; will again stand as a candidate for New Democracy in the country’s upcoming elections.
Government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou announced Monday “On the part of New Democracy and Mr Karamanlis, there is no intention not to be a candidate in the parliamentary elections.”
Oikonomou said Karamanlis’ resignation was “a brave assumption of political objective responsibility,” calling it “an act that honours Mr Karamanlis.”
While Karamanlis’ resignation came just hours after the catastrophic collision, following his visit to the crash site; citing solidarity with the survivors’ and victims’ loss in the tragedy which claimed at least 57 lives.
In a statement given to Greek media following the disaster, the scion of the prominent political dynasty said the decision to resign was made out of a sense of duty, calling it “a minimal gesture of respect to the memory of the people who perished so unfairly.”
Karamanlis claimed “It is a fact that we inherited the Greek railway in a condition incompatible with 21st century standards,” ostensibly placing some blame on Greece’s previous administration.
The former minister said that while the current Government has “made every effort to improve” the country’s aging railway network, “unfortunately these efforts were not enough to prevent such an accident.”
