Junior coalition government partner Democratic Left (DIMAR) expelled Monday MPs Odyseas Voudouris and Paris Moutsinas because “they have been permanently disagreeing with the official positions of the party” DIMAR said in a statement.
Last week, Voudouris said in an interview, that he would call on a party congress where he would put on the agenda DIMAR’s participation in Samaras’ coalition government. Furthermore he had announced that he would vote in favor of the proposal to be posed by main opposition party, left-wing SYRIZA, asking that coalition partner and leader of PASOK, Evangelos Venizelos, should be referred to parliamentary committee investigating changes on the Lagarde list.
With this move, the number of DIMAR’s seats in the Greek parliament drops to 14, while Samaras’ coalition government now holds just 165 seats in a parliament of 300.
If Samaras loses 2 more deputies (PASOK or ND, PASOK most likely), then DIMAR will have gone from the insignificant 5th wheel on the wagon to the party that holds the balance of power in the coalition. Doesn’t make them any more significant, just gives them a lot more power.
Will Kouvelis remember his many election promises and use this position he may well find himself in….