Opposition MPs object to busy legislative program
Opposition lawmakers in Greece's Parliament are objecting to a busy legislative schedule presented by House speaker Nikos Voutsis on Tuesday, accusing the SYRIZA government of inundating MPs with fresh legislation that will make it impossible for them to examine its content in detail.
Lawmakers with New Democracy and the center-left Democratic Alignment alliance walked out of the House on Tuesday in protest at the program, while the Greek Communist Party (KKE) is reportedly pondering a similar move.
According to sources, MPs have just a few hours on Wednesday to discuss and vote on an environmental protection agreement with Azerbaijan and on the Nagoya Protocol for protecting biodiversity, before they are presented on Thursday with dozens of new changes to Greece's criminal code and code of criminal procedure, followed on Friday by legislation on a grant from the private Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
A crucial debate on the country's forest maps, meanwhile, has been pushed to next week, though it may be delayed even longer depending on when Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and asks him to call general elections.
Voutsis said that contrary to reports suggesting that Tsipras would be visiting Pavlopoulos for this purpose at the start of this week, the meeting will take place between June 10 and 13.
In the meantime, opposition MPs are reportedly concerned that the government will attempt to slip legislation that works in its favor or benefits supporters into the bulk of the bills that will be presented to lawmakers.
“We will not be a part of the government's machinations,” New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said as he walked out of the session, saying that Parliament should have already been dissolved.
