The government is focusing on boosting citizens’ income as a barrier against rising costs, at a time when a difficult two-day period begins in Parliament this morning. Following the announcement for including nurses in hazardous and unhealthy occupations, an emergency allowance of 150 euros per child will be provided within June to the vast majority of families with children, while on Wednesday Kyriakos Mitsotakis made another announcement. Speaking at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport event titled “Public transport is changing Athens” at the Sepolia depot, he addressed “the people of OSY, STASY, OASA,” as he said, and announced that “we will sign new collective labor agreements in the coming days, as agreed between your unions and the administrations.” As he noted, “the government’s focus remains fixed on the major problem of living costs, which unfortunately is exacerbated by the prolonged uncertainty regarding the US-Iran conflict.”
OPEKEPE: The proposal for preliminary investigation and government response
In Parliament, the political “battle” the government must fight begins this morning. PASOK has officially requested the “establishment of a Special Parliamentary Committee for Conducting Preliminary Examination against the former Minister of Agricultural Development and Food, Mr. Spyridon-Panagiotis Livanos, and the former Deputy Minister, Ms. Fotini Arampatzi” regarding OPEKEPE. The government has stated that no evidence has emerged to justify establishing a preliminary investigation and accuses the opposition of wanting to transform the country and its political life into a vast courtroom, into an endless discussion of criminal matters without real evidence. It also makes pointed remarks about Nikos Androulakis, who “requests a preliminary investigation, meaning that Spilios Livanos and Kostas Karamanlis should go to the Special Court because the accountant of some farmers had become ill – and very seriously at that – and couldn’t make certain declarations, and these people requested a legal intervention, not something illegal, to get paid. But when Mr. Androulakis’s accountant gets sick and forgets everything, then it’s socialism, center-left and progress,” as government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized.
Wiretapping: PASOK’s proposal for investigative committee and the 151-vote puzzle
Tomorrow, Friday, in what is expected to be a lengthy plenary session of Parliament, PASOK’s proposal will be discussed for the “establishment of an Investigative Committee to examine the special issue of public interest regarding the illegal use of illegal Predator software on Greek territory (87 verified targeting cases against natural persons), the suspected participation of the National Intelligence Service (EYP) in cases of communication privacy violations and illegal processing of personal data, the manipulation of the Investigative Committee established according to the August 29, 2022 decision of the Parliamentary Plenary and the investigation into the existence of responsibilities of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and any other involved natural or legal person according to articles 68 par. 2 c’ of the Constitution and 144 par. 5 b’ of the Parliamentary Rules.” As everything indicates, the government will point to article 144 of the Parliamentary Rules, which states that “the decision of the Parliamentary Plenary for the establishment of an Investigative Committee according to article 68 par. 2 b’ of the Constitution for issues related to foreign policy and national defense is taken by absolute majority of the total number of MPs.” Therefore, 151 votes will be required and, since New Democracy will vote against the proposal, it will be rejected.
A harbinger of the great tension and high tones we will see in Parliament over the next two days was yesterday’s closed session in the Institutions and Transparency Committee, with the scheduled hearing of EYP director Themistoklis Demiris on the wiretapping case and Mr. Androulakis’s strong reaction. “For three years New Democracy tells us ‘why didn’t they go to inform me’ and today the EYP director said he doesn’t know the reasons I was monitored,” he denounced in his subsequent intervention at the Circle of Ideas conference.
No-confidence motion on the table?
New Democracy will vote against both proposals and following this, it is likely that PASOK (together with other parties, as 50 MP signatures are required) will submit a no-confidence motion on Friday afternoon against the government. If this happens, then Parliament suspends its scheduled work and begins a three-day discussion on the no-confidence motion, which concludes with the relevant vote.
