Attempt to appoint new Ombudsman fails
An attempt to elect a new Ombudsman has fallen through, with the government’s nominee failing to secure the support of three-fifths of the members of Parliament’s 30-member conference of speakers.
The nominee, Athens University politics professor Dimitris Sotiropoulos, received the backing of the 15 New Democracy members of the conference.
However, seven members from SYRIZA, PASOK, KKE and the Spartans abstained, while the same number representing Greek Solution, New Left, Course of Freedom and independent MPs voted against the proposal.
The term of office of the current Ombudsman, Andreas Pottakis, expired about two-and-a-half years ago, but he has remained in the position as no agreement has been reached for his successor.
Opposition parties want Pottakis to remain in office until he completes a number of investigations, including the one into the 2023 Pylos shipwreck.
The speakers’ conference comprises the current speaker and the deputy speakers, former speakers who are still MPs, the chairpersons of standing committees and that of the special standing committee on institutions and transparency, parliamentary group chairs and a representative of independent MPs.
