Conservative minister says he would quit if told to back same-sex marriage bill
State Minister Makis Voridis said on Thursday he would resign if Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were to request party discipline in a parliamentary vote for a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage and expand adoption rights to same-sex couples.
“The prime minister has not decided the specific time of the initiative in question, I have nothing else to add to what I have said. My positions are the same,” he told Open TV channel.
Veridic said Mitsotakis will allow New Democracy MPs to vote “based on their conscience”. Asked if this will apply to ministers, he responded: “I don’t know. From what I understand, (it will apply) to the ministers as well,” adding that “in matters of conscience, it is understood that I cannot back down. If someone tells me, ‘you must do this,’ I can’t do it.”
In July, Mitsotakis had announced his intention to legalize same-sex marriage during his second term in office, asserting, “Same-sex marriage will happen at some point, and it’s part of our strategy.” He went on to emphasize that “Greek society is much more ready and mature.”
Voridis was a lawmaker for the right-wing, nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) from 2005 until 2012, when he quit to join New Democracy.
