Opposition parties leave parliamentary session in protest

Lawmakers of the main opposition SYRIZA, center-left Movement for Change, the Communist Party and anti-austerity MeRA25 left from an ongoing parliamentary debate on a omnibus bill in Parliament on Thursday, protesting over the submission of two last-minute provisions from Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis.

The opposition parties called for the withdrawal of the Labor Ministry provisions, but their request was rejected.

The debated legislation includes, among others, provisions to scrap the so-called university asylum and allow law enforcement and other authorities to enter campuses to tackle crime, change the administration of local government and provide for the dismissal of members and staff of the independent competition commission if they have recently served in government offices.

The vote is expected on Thursday evening.