Greece’s Parliament will resume operation earlier than scheduled and before end of summer break after main opposition party SYRIZA requested a plenary discussion on the wiretapping scandal that is shaking the conservative government of New Democracy and the Prime Minister.
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras submitted his request for a debated to the Parliament Speaker late Monday afternoon and after the Prime Minister addressed the nation on the spyware scandal, however, without convincing explanation and claiming he had no idea about the “legal” – as he said characteristically – surveillance of PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis, even though the National Intelligence Service EYP is under his control.
After the relevant request, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras posted on Twitter:
“I informed the PSp that I filed a request for the extraordinary opening of the Parliament to hold a debate. We are experiencing one of the darkest moments of the post-colonial era and parliamentary control cannot be absent. Democracy doesn’t take holidays when it’s threatened.”
Ενημέρωσα τον ΠτΒ ότι κατέθεσα αίτημα να ανοίξει εκτάκτως η Βουλή για διεξαγωγή προ ημερησίας συζήτησης. Βιώνουμε μια από τις πιο σκοτεινές στιγμές της Μεταπολίτευσης και ο κοινοβουλευτικός έλεγχος δεν μπορεί να απουσιάζει. Η δημοκρατία όταν απειλείται δεν κάνει διακοπές.
— Αλέξης Τσίπρας – Alexis Tsipras (@atsipras) August 8, 2022
The government responded positive to Tsipras’ request and the Palriament will open on August 22, instead of a week later, on August 31.
Last Friday, Nikos Androulakis, who has been a member of European Parliament since 2014 and was elected PASOK-KINAL leader in December 2021, said he had learned that EYP had his mobile under surveillance and was listening his conversations for three month in autumn early winter of 2021. The wiretapping had ended two days after he was elected PASOK leader.
After an attempt of Androulakis’ “character assassination” over the weekend, ruling New Democracy claims that the PASOK leader refuses to get information about his surveillance.
PS Many Greeks do not believe that a debate in the Parliament will shed any substantial light into the scandal or force the prime Minister into resignation.
he will resign only when his successors for the ND leadership are ready and will have secure the essential support by Mitsotakis’ opponents within the party.
