Seven weeks before the opening of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis‘ keynote address, the Prime Minister is making yet another outreach effort to New Democracy MPs, soliciting their ideas and proposals on the support and relief measures he plans to unveil at the Vellidio Convention Centre. The party’s Parliamentary Group is convening this afternoon at 4:00 PM in another show of unity, with the Prime Minister expected to once again address the “true dimensions” and “full truth surrounding the OPEKEPE case,” condemning the opposition’s stance following the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announcement and the dismissal of charges against the majority of New Democracy MPs.
Key items on the New Democracy parliamentary group agenda
The meeting’s two main agenda items are: the constitutional revision and the governing majority’s final proposal, and the shaping of the economic platform that the Prime Minister will present at the TIF — a process for which he is seeking MPs’ views and input. “The top priority is to further boost citizens’ disposable income, with particular emphasis on supporting the middle class, which has shouldered a heavy burden all these years and deserves to see its efforts increasingly rewarded — especially those responsible fellow citizens who, month after month, met their obligations even out of their own limited means,” government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stated yesterday in an interview with ethnos.gr, signaling the government’s intentions regarding the measures to be announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair.
Ahead of the TIF, and in response to circulating rumors about the return of a 13th pension payment and the abolition of ENFIA (property tax), Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis clarified (on Mega News) that “neither of these two issues has been raised by the government in public debate.” He noted that the government does not dogmatically rule out any measure, but makes choices evaluated on the basis of the real economy. “The same speculation resurfaces every time ahead of the TIF, and that’s understandable. However, it’s worth having the discussion on a factual basis — at least on the essentials — something that didn’t happen in the past,” he stressed.
Mitsotakis’ message on constitutional revision
On the issue of constitutional revision — now coming before the full Parliament for debate and first vote — New Democracy’s proposal also serves as a key pillar of the political platform with which the party will seek a mandate for a third consecutive term. “Elections will be held in 2027 and our pre-election campaign will be based in part on our constitutional revision proposals, as we believe popular legitimacy is required — meaning we must put these issues before the electorate ahead of the next elections,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated recently.
The constitutional debate encompasses interventions that, if implemented, would be historic in nature — from the establishment of private universities for the first time since the restoration of democracy, to the redefinition of civil servants’ permanent tenure — issues on which the Prime Minister is expected to place particular emphasis. It should be noted that the current Parliament is the proposing body. The next Parliament — whichever emerges from the 2027 general elections — will be the one to decide, during its first session and by a majority of at least 180 MPs (since no single provision is expected to achieve that majority in the current Parliament), on the articles to be revised.
