Parliament passes bill; former PM votes against

A bill allowing migrants to obtain a three-year residency and work permit as a means to tackle labor shortages was passed by Parliament in a roll call vote on Tuesday.

Ruling New Democracy lawmaker and former prime minister, Antonis Samaras, voted against the bill which he has fiercely opposed, New Democracy had imposed party discipline on MPs to vote in favor of the bill, but Samaras was exempted. By choosing to vote against the provision rather than simply abstaining, Samaras showed that he was unfazed by the exhortations of government officials about the necessity of the amendment.

“I have said what I had a duty to say, and anyone who wants to understand has understood,” he told parliamentary editors after he voted.

For its part, the assessment of the government was that the imposition of party discipline had a positive effect. At least eight deputies who had publicly or privately expressed their objections to the amendment voted for it. This, however, does not indicate that the situation has been resolved, as Samaras’ divergence and the public or silent reaction of certain lawmakers was recorded as internal party opposition, for the first time since 2019.

There has already been a backlash to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ announcement that a bill on same-sex marriage will come within his term of office.