The government is planning to change the agenda in order to remove scandals from the center of political life. In this direction, the discussion on constitutional revision is expected to return from the Maximos Mansion, attempting on one hand to strengthen the government’s reform profile and on the other to shift the political agenda. In this context, the government will call on the opposition to submit specific proposals for necessary institutional changes to the country’s constitutional charter.
Read: Kostis Hatzidakis on Constitutional Revision: “These are the three issues we will solve permanently”
The initiative comes at a time when the Maximos Mansion seeks to regain control of political developments, presenting New Democracy as the only force capable of implementing substantial structural reforms. At the same time, the start of the relevant discussion shifts the weight of public dialogue to the institutional field, which government officials consider more favorable.
Information indicates that a good opportunity for the new strategy is tomorrow’s pre-agenda discussion on the rule of law, where it is not excluded that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will give particular emphasis to the proposed constitutional changes, utilizing the parliamentary procedure as an institutional response to the opposition. Particularly high tones are expected from PASOK and Nikos Androulakis, mainly regarding the wiretapping issue. It should be noted that already since last February, the Prime Minister had opened the discussion on constitutional revision, focusing on a series of critical issues: ministerial responsibility (Article 86), evaluation and tenure in the public sector, Article 16 on non-state universities, the election of the President of the Republic with a proposal for a six-year term, as well as the participation of judges in selecting the leadership of supreme courts. Recently, the proposal for incompatibility between ministerial and parliamentary office was also added.
Delays and intra-party dialogue
The original timeline of the process was affected by international developments, resulting in the postponement of the New Democracy Parliamentary Group meeting, where MPs’ proposals were to be evaluated. However, the meeting is expected to take place in the coming period, with developments at OPEKEPE also being put on the table. Already, about 50 government MPs have submitted proposals, signaling the start of intra-party dialogue. The comprehensive proposal of New Democracy is estimated to be presented within the summer.
The three main pillars of the revision
Government Vice President Kostis Hatzidakis highlighted three critical interventions, emphasizing the importance of the revision as an opportunity for substantial changes:
- Fiscal rule: Constitutional guarantee of the obligation to limit deficit and debt, to prevent the transfer of burdens to future generations.
- Tenure and evaluation in the public sector: Re-examination of the public administration framework with emphasis on effectiveness.
- Selection of judicial leadership: Seeking a more credible and transparent system, based on European standards.
As the government vice president emphasized, the goal is a Constitution that will function as a reform tool, strengthening the credibility of the political system and laying the foundations for a stronger and more modern Greece.
