Kyriakos Mitsotakis is not a stranger to Mount Athos, even though this is his first visit there as Prime Minister, accompanied by his son Konstantinos. Starting from Karyes and the Holy Supervision, Mr. Mitsotakis visited the “difficult” Vatopedi Monastery yesterday, then the Iviron Monastery, and ended up at the more “friendly” Simonos Petra Monastery, where he stayed overnight. Today, he is also scheduled to visit the Xenophontos Monastery before heading back to Athens.

The Prime Minister’s presence in the Athonite State—with its many mysteries and the mystagogical nature of his stay—is inextricably linked to the decisions he is expected to make regarding the OPEKEPE case. While the government may not be suffering significantly in terms of public support from the case—which has caused public outrage due to the cynicism evident in the leaked conversations—it is being worn down in terms of its effectiveness in tackling the deep state’s chronic dysfunctions. And Mr. Mitsotakis is now called to make a political decision on how to handle the situation.

The key question remains whether the parliamentary majority will agree to the establishment of a Preliminary Investigation Committee for the two former ministers, Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis. Of course, the political strategy of the Maximos Mansion (the Prime Minister’s office) is far more complex. However, the request for a Preliminary Investigation—at least from PASOK—is expected in the coming days and will include the two senior ND officials, but not the Prime Minister, despite the harsh personal attacks from Nikos Androulakis. Consequently, New Democracy, which in principle does not intend to submit its own proposal (as it didn’t in the Triantopoulos and Karamanlis cases), is now called upon to decide.

Within the government team, there are currently conflicting recommendations. One view does not rule out the formation of a Preliminary Committee—but based on the case file from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Notably, two MPs (Stelios Petsas and Maximos Charakopoulos) have publicly supported this approach. On the other hand, the opposing argument is that ND should not consent to the formation of a committee due to the lack of substantial evidence for prosecuting former ministers. Makis Voridis aligns with this position, firmly stating that there is no solid evidence in the case file to justify criminal prosecution. Lefteris Avgenakis also agrees, and he strongly rejects any discussion of his case being treated separately from that of Voridis. In any case, the Maximos Mansion appears to be treating both former ministers as a “package deal.”

Ultimately, the key to the government’s strategy lies in the hands of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who, upon returning from the Virgin Mary’s Garden (Mount Athos), will have taken the time to reflect on his choices.