SYRIZA MPs accuse minister, former governor of attempting to deceive voters
Two lawmakers of the main opposition filed on Tuesday a criminal complaint with the prosecution of the Supreme Court asking it to investigate whether a minister and a former regional governor attempted to deceive voters ahead of local elections a few weeks ago.
The complaint, filed by SYRIZA MPs Vassilis Kokkalis and Giannis Sarakiotis, refers to statements made by Minister of Rural Development, Lefteris Avgenakis, and the New Democracy-backed former regional governor of Thessaly Kostas Agorastos ahead of the second round of regional elections earlier this month.
The two lawmakers cited Avgenakis’ statements during a visit to Thessaly, a region flooded in two mega-storms in the previous month, where he appeared to insinuate that the timely payment of compensations to farmers whose livelihoods had been destroyed depended on whether they would vote for the incumbent regional governor, Agorastos.
“The result of the ballot box [in next Sunday’s runoff] is inextricably linked to the speed and the observance of the timetables which we announced,” Avgenakis said at the time.
On the same day, Agorastos posted this statement on his social media and said that “there needs to be continuity in this [anti-flooding] project, there should be no interruption.”
“Mr Avgenakis’ visit to the building of the Region of Thessaly in Larissa was absolutely connected to [attempts to] influence the outcome of the elections in favor of Mr. Agorastos,” the opposition lawmakers said in their complaint. “He abused and took advantage of his institutional capacity as Minister of Rural Development to mislead the average citizen and voter.”
“In addition to the moral and political aberration, he proceeded to defiantly mislead the electorate by conveying inaccurate and false information. They intended to cause a dilemma and to morally coerce the voters into choosing Agorastos.”
Avgenakis’ statements were heavily denounced by socialist PASOK at the time, which described it as a “blackmail.”
Agorastos lost the election to SYRIZA and PASOK-backed rival Dimitris Kouretas in the second round of regional elections.
