The scandal over the wiretapping of Nikos Androulakis, leader of socialist party PASOK, Greece's third-largest political party, has turned up the heat on the conservative premier who brought EYP under his control after taking office 3 years ago.
Mitsotakis has said the phone tapping of Androulakis for reasons of national security was legal but "politically unacceptable."
PASOK's request for an inquiry commission passed the 300-seat Parliament with 142 lawmakers voting in favor. A minimum of 120 votes was needed to approve the request.
"There are huge question marks that must be answered. Are there more politicians and journalists under surveillance? Who decided the legal phone tapping and why?" asked PASOK lawmaker Haris Kastanidis.
The government has not disclosed the national security reasons that justified the tapping of Androulakis' phone last year.
Ruling New Democracy party lawmaker Dimitris Kairidis said disclosing the reason behind the surveillance would violate existing laws.
The leftist SYRIZA party, the majority opposition, voted in favor of setting up the inquiry commission and alleged that Mitsotakis had orchestrated the phone taps.
"Either there was a national security reason, meaning Androulakis was a spy, or there wasn't and therefore the phonetapping was illegal," said SYRIZA lawmaker George Katrougkalos.
Mitsotakis, who faces elections in the summer of 2023 at the latest, has said he was not aware of the "legal" phone tapping and would not have allowed it had he known.
In an opinion poll by GPO, conducted August 22-24th, 58.3% of those surveyed said the wiretapping scandal hurt their trust in the government while 40.6% said their confidence has not been shaken.
Almost two-thirds of Greeks thought poorly of Mitsotakis' stance on the issue, although about 61% said the case would not weigh on their vote. (Reuters)
PM to lay out the stakes in Thessaloniki (TIF):
As the noise surrounding the wiretapping affair intensifies, Hellenic Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reportedly plans to highlight the strong dilemmas facing the country during his keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) and send the message that the government will see out its 4-year term in office.
The PM has reportedly dismissed suggestions for early elections, which were triggered by current secret and open polls showing that the government’s deterioration is under control, despite the explosive climate created by the wiretapping case.
“The PM is not listening to the early election scenarios,” close associates say, stressing he remains firm on the option of taking the country to the next – double – election in the Spring.
The aides note that if Mitsotakis were to heed the proposals for snap polls, he would be vulnerable to opposition accusations that he is attempting to “escape” the risk of new revelations in the wiretapping case. At the same time, he would be heading for a one-issue election period, dominated by the wiretapping case, which is deemed far from favorable for ruling New Democracy.
Moreover, early polls would make the PM appear to be putting his own political interest ahead of the country’s priorities.
According to reports, Mitsotakis plans during his speech at TIF, which will take place on September 10 and 11th, 2022, to refer to the difficult winter that lies ahead due to the war in Ukraine and soaring energy prices. His case is backed by the situation in Germany and the dramatic statements by foreign leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron. Against this background, it would therefore be foolhardy to lead the country into a double election.
He will also compare the performance of the ND government with the four years of the SYRIZA administration and will pose the dilemma of whether citizens want the country to continue moving forward or return to the pre-2019 period, underlining that, “nothing is a given, but everything is at stake” across the entire spectrum of policies.
Mitsotakis will not only focus on the economy and tax cuts, as opposed to the over-taxation – especially of the middle class – imposed by SYRIZA, but will expand on issues such as migration and security, education reform, strengthening the public health system and continuing the country’s digital transformation.
