Spokesperson for Greece’s Deadly 2023 Rail Crash Plans New Anti-Corruption Party

The main spokesperson for the victims of Greece’s worst rail disaster has announced plans to form a new political party aimed at fighting corruption and clientelism. Early opinion polls suggest the party could gain significant support.

Maria Karystianou, who lost her daughter in the February 2023 Tempi rail crash, told reporters on Friday, “The citizens’ movement against corruption and clientelism is being organised and will soon be ready to seek society’s vote.”

Polls indicate that a party led by Karystianou could win between 10 and 30 percent of the vote.

The Tempi disaster, which occurred in central Greece, killed 57 people, mostly young students, after a passenger train collided with a freight train late at night. The government, led by conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, faced criticism after blaming a local station master for the crash.

Families of the victims have also raised concerns that important evidence was destroyed when the crash site was bulldozed shortly after the accident, fueling claims of a cover-up.

Nearly 40 people, including railway executives and the station master responsible that night, are set to go on trial in March. They face prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Karystianou has previously expressed her lack of faith in the Greek justice system and said she plans to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights.

The 53-year-old head of the Tempi Victims’ Relatives Association did not give details about the party’s name or launch date, stating, “When I have something complete – which means I will have a program and people – we will come out and speak.”

Meanwhile, rumors suggest that two former prime ministers, leftist Alexis Tsipras and conservative Antonis Samaras, are also preparing to launch their own parties.