Greek Politics
Budget marks return of trust, argues Mitsotakis
The 2024 budget was passed through Parliament yesterday with the votes of the 158 New Democracy MPs, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis claiming that his government has rebuilt trust within the country as well as abroad.
Kasselakis sets sights on government over cost of living
As the budget debate in Parliament builds up to Sunday’s vote, SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis has insisted that any progress the Greek economy has made over the last few years has come at the expense of average citizens.
Budget debate begins as poll highlights opposition's weakness
The debate over next year’s budget began in Parliament on Wednesday, ahead of this Sunday’s vote. Although the government is coming under attack over the cost of living and taxation, this political pressure is still not translating into any substantial shift in public opinion.
Tempe rail crash charges reignite debate about scrupulousness of investigation
The Tempe train crash, in which 57 people lost their lives in February, is back in the headlines and part of the public debate again, months after the government felt that its resounding wins in this summer’s two general elections put to bed any questions about political responsibility for the disaster.
Latest hooliganism crackdown greeted by mixture of anger and scepticism
The government’s response to the latest hooliganism incident has managed to anger the country’s top football clubs while questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the measures.
Sports-related violence on the agenda again as PM struggles to find response
For at least the third time since it first took power in 2019, the New Democracy government is examining what measures it can take to rein in sports-related violence after a policeman was seriously injured at a volleyball match.
Unpopular tax bill set to become law despite objections
New Democracy’s legislation against tax evasion looks set to clear the final hurdle today in the teeth of strong objections from opposition parties and legal concerns raised by Parliament’s scientific council.
PM focusses on fairness of tax bill, leaving limited space for opposition
Ahead of the visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, the political attention in Greece turned to tax issues on Wednesday as the parties debated the government’s contentious tax bill, which will see the self-employed taxed based on a minimum income.
SYRIZA rebels unveil new group as Kasselakis talks up EP vote prospects
The 11 MPs who quit SYRIZA over the past few weeks unveiled the name and logo of their new parliamentary group yesterday, just as the leader of their former party, Stefanos Kasselakis, suggested that the opposition grouping is aiming to come first in next year’s European Parliament elections.
Mitsotakis pushes for broad consensus after surprise announcement on postal vote
Postal voting could be introduced for the European Parliament elections in June, according to a surprise announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who told last week’s cabinet meeting that the government had put together a workable proposal and would be seeking the support of opposition parties.