Panagis Tsaldaris
In 1915, he sided with King Constantine I in the latter's conflict with Eleftherios Venizelos (see national Schism) and became Minister of Justice in Dimitrios Gounaris's government.Panagis Tsaldaris formed his first government in 1932, along with Georgios Kondylis and Ioannis Metaxas, after he had first officially recognized the outcome of the plebiscite of 1924 which established the Second Hellenic Republic.He confronted with success the military movement of Nikolaos Plastiras, but because of this crisis an interim government under the leadership of Lieutenant General Alexandros Othonaios was appointed.Tsaldaris had no involvement and condemned the criminal attack, but members of his party and close supporters were deemed responsible for the assault.However, several right-wing elements, including a significant faction of Tsaldaris' own party, demanded the return the monarchy without the formality of a referendum.Official results showed 98 percent of the voters supported the restoration of the monarchy—an implausibly high total that could have only been obtained through fraud.It is characteristic, that, when Kondylis, Papagos and other royalists of his parataxis demanded the immediate enforcement of the constitutional monarchy, Tsaldaris opposed these plans, asking for the conducting of a referendum.Tsaldaris had once said: "I was always anti-Venizelist and royalist but, at the same time, I always remained lawful (Nea online)", a combination difficult to be achieved, as the dramatic events of 1935 proved.Certainly, Tsaldaris may be accused for one thing: During the last years of his political career, he did not foresee Metaxas' dictatorship and he did not react in order to prevent the advent of the dictatorial regime.