PM mulls changes to electoral law, presidential vote

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is considering a broad constitutional overhaul that would allow citizens to directly elect the country’s president and would change the electoral law to a system of proportional representation, Kathimerini understands.

With his government’s popularity suffering due to the series of austerity measures it has been obliged by creditors to implement, the premier is keen to effect some changes that will give back a voice to the people and that are more in keeping with the ideals of leftist SYRIZA.

The first major change being mulled by the premier is a change of law that would allow Greece’s president to be elected by the people and not by Parliament, as is currently the case.

The other overhaul would be a change to the Greek electoral law, which currently gives a 50-seat bonus to the party that comes first in general elections.

One alternative that had been under consideration was to reduce the size of the bonus going to the first party to 30 seats.

But sources indicate Tsipras prefers the prospect of simple proportional representation, in line with SYRIZA’s original stance on the issue of the electoral law.

The idea behind the changes is that they would allow SYRIZA to differentiate itself from conservative New Democracy and other parties that have enforced bailouts. The proposals are expected to be presented at SYRIZA’s party congress in September before being submitted to Parliament.