ND: Changing judges’ retirement age ‘unthinkable’

New Democracy, Greece’s conservative opposition, said Wednesday that a decision to extend the age limit of active judges would be “unthinkable.”

“The retirement age of judges is set by the constitution. Any decision to change the [age] limit would be unthinkable,” New Democracy said in a statement while accusing the SYRIZA-led government of tampering with the country’s institutions.

The issue was discussed Tuesday during a meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and top judges.

After the talks with Tsipras, Supreme Court President Vassiliki Thanou told fellow judges in a briefing that the premier had been “very positive” towards her proposal that the age limit for Greek judges be extended beyond the current maximum of 67 years.

Thanou, who faces retirement next June under the current limits, submitted her proposal to Tsipras along with several other judges who also face retirement next year, including Council of State President Nikos Sakellariou.